Category: Adult Leagues

by AspiDimitrov

HERTS’ SECOND BASEBALL DIAMOND STARTING TO TAKE SHAPE

The next stage of the Grovehill Ballpark Development is well and truly under way.  The contractors have commenced the work which will see the playing surface of the second diamond being levelled.  Tractors, bulldozers and other specialist vehicles were out in force this afternoon on the second diamond along with various laser measuring equipment required for this type of project. 

 

Apart from levelling the playing surface, the project will also involve the arduous task of grading the hill to make the home plate area and the foul territory around the infield aligned with the rest of the infield.  This will create a bank similar to the one on the first base side of the first diamond.  The one difference is that the hill next to the second diamond is much more pronounced and this will create a natural amphitheatre for spectators in the shade under the big trees, which will be a relief on those hot summer days, which usually see players and fans on the first diamond scrambling for their umbrellas as protection from the sun.

 

Once the playing surface has been levelled, the next step will be to inject the grass seed mixture into the surface.  At that point the weather will play a vital role in how well the grass will grow.  When the first rainfall occurs the grass seed will begin to germinate.  It will be critical that there is plenty of rain after that to ensure a high quality grass surface in 2010.

 

This stage of the Grovehill Ballpark Development has been made possible thanks to the £5,000 grant awarded to Herts Baseball Club last month from the Dacorum Olympic and Paralympic Fund, administered jointly by Dacorum Borough Council and the Dacorum Sports Network.

More images of the Grovehill Ballpark Project

by AspiDimitrov

BRACKNELL ELIMINATE HERTS FALCONS ON THE WAY TO BECOMING 2009 CHAMPIONS

The following article first appeared on www.britishbaseball.org 

Legendary Herts Shortstop, Geoff Hare (second from left),

gets honour of being the plate umpire at the Final

Bracknell Blazers played and won three back-to-back games on Sunday 30 August to be crowned National Baseball Champions for 2009.

The team had lost the opening game of the double elimination format event on Saturday 29 August by a score of 10-4 against reigning champs London Mets. This left the Berkshire team with an uphill battle on Sunday.

First they faced and defeated Herts Falcons 12-1 in a five-inning “mercy rule” game. Next was a rematch with London and this time the Blazers won 11-7 over seven-innings. This set up a nine-inning grand final against National Baseball League winners Richmond Flames.

A close game against the Flames (3-3 after six innings) was blown wide open by a Josh Chetwynd double with the bases loaded that scored three for Bracknell. Richmond couldn't fight back, trailing 9-4 going into the ninth inning, only to see Bracknell knock in another seven runs to seal victory.

Rob Rance, Bracknell Manager, and Paul Vernon, Assistant Manager, were jubilant, as was Mark Salter, Bracknell President.

Images from the 2009 National Baseball Championship

Herts Falcons at Richmond Flames
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Herts Falcons 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 7 1
Richmond Flames 2 4 4 1 0 0 0 11 20 2

Richmond Flames 11, Herts Falcons 3
Richmond Flames Herts Falcons
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Marty Visser cf 5 3 3 0 Riley Fisher 3b-p 4 1 1 1
Mike Osborne 2b 4 3 4 3 Jason Greenberg c 3 0 1 1
Cody Cain ss 2 2 2 1 Lin Yuchih 2b 3 0 3 1
Ryan Bird lf 5 1 2 1 Darrin Ward p 3 0 0 0
Grant Delzoppo c 5 1 3 3 (b6) Aspi Dimitrov lf 1 0 0 0
Guy Lidbetter 1b 5 0 2 1 Andy Cornish rf 4 0 1 0
Hayden Davidson 2b 4 0 3 2 Kimiyoshi Saionji cf 3 0 0 0
Matt Spaulding rf 4 0 0 0 Luis Goncalves ss 3 0 0 0
Yoshi Saito 3b 4 1 1 0 Marty Cullen 1b 3 1 1 0
           Nick Goetz lf-3b 1 1 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 38 11 20 11 TEAM TOTALS 28 3 7 3

E: Mike Osborne, Cody Cain, Nick Goetz. DP: Richmond Flames 2. LOB: Herts Falcons 8,
Richmond Flames 13. 2B: Marty Visser, Riley Fisher. 3B: Mike Osborne. SB: Marty
Visser(2), Jason Greenberg, Marty Cullen.

Richmond Flames IP H R ER BB SO
Herts Falcons            
Darrin Ward L 5.00 19 11 10 0 2
Riley Fisher 1.00 1 0 0 2 2

HBP: by (Jason Greenberg). , by Darrin Ward (Cody Cain). . , by Darrin Ward (Cody
Cain). . . . WP: Riley Fisher. T: 2:02. A: 170.
Bracknell Blazers at Herts Falcons
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Bracknell Blazers 1 4 2 2 3 12 12 2
Herts Falcons 0 0 1 0 0 1 2 1

Bracknell Blazers 12, Herts Falcons 1
Bracknell Blazers Herts Falcons
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Player 1 p 2 3 1 0 Riley Fisher c 3 1 1 0
Player 2 c 3 2 2 2 Andy Cornish dh 1 0 0 0
Player 3 1b 3 0 1 3 (t3) Kimiyoshi Saionji lf 1 0 0 0
Player 4 2b 3 1 2 2 Lin Yuchih 1b 2 0 1 1
Player 5 3b 2 0 1 1 Darrin Ward 3b 2 0 0 0
Player 6 ss 3 2 0 0 Dan Kerry cf-p 1 0 0 0
Player 7 lf 2 1 2 2 Luis Goncalves ss 2 0 0 0
Player 8 cf 2 0 1 1 Carlos Casal 2b 2 0 0 0
Player 9 rf 2 3 2 0 Aspi Dimitrov rf 1 0 0 0
           (b5) Marty Cullen rf 1 0 0 0
          Jamie Munn lf-cf 1 0 0 0
          Nick Goetz p 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 22 12 12 11 TEAM TOTALS 17 1 2 1

E: Player 5(2), Dan Kerry. LOB: Herts Falcons 3, Bracknell Blazers 6. 2B: Player 5,
Player 2, Player 1, Player 7, Riley Fisher. HR: Player 7, Player 4. SB: Player 3,
Player 2, Dan Kerry. SB: Player 8. SF: Player 4, Player 3.

Bracknell Blazers IP H R ER BB SO
Player 1 W 5.00 2 1 0 1 4
Herts Falcons            
Nick Goetz L 2.67 9 7 6 3 0
Dan Kerry 2.33 3 5 3 3 2

HBP: by Nick Goetz (Player 6), by Player 1 (Dan Kerry). . , by Dan Kerry (Player 5).
. WP: Dan Kerry. PB: Riley Fisher. T: 1:49. A: 170.

AA & A Divisions

League newcomers Mildenhall Bulldogs downed Midlands rivals Alconbury Braves 8-1 to seize the AA Division title at the first attempt.

Leicester Blue Sox, also from the Midlands, pushed aside Southern opposition defeating Essex Archers 12-8 for the A Division title.

AAA Division

There will be more baseball on 5/6 September when the AAA Division Championships take place in Harrogate, Yorkshire. Hosts Harrogate Tigers will play Liverpool Trojans, Essex Arrows and Southampton Mustangs for the AAA Division title.

RESULTS

National Baseball League
Game 1 – Bracknell Blazers 4, London Mets 10
Game 2 – Herts Falcons 3, Richmond Flames 11
Game 3 – London Mets 1, Richmond Flames 4 (Richmond through to Grand Final)
Game 4 – Bracknell Blazers 12, Herts Falcons 1 (Herts eliminated)
Game 5 – London Mets 7, Bracknell Blazers 11 (London eliminated)
Grand Final – Bracknell Blazers 16, Richmond Flames 4

AA Division
Semi-Final 1 – Kent Mariners 3, Alconbury Braves 13
Semi-Final 2 – Mildenhall Bulldogs 10, Manchester A's 6
3rd/4th Place – Kent Mariners 0, Manchester A's 7
Final – Alconbury Braves 1, Mildenhall Bulldogs 8

A Division
Semi-Final 1 – Leicester Blue Sox 9, Bracknell Blazers II 5
Semi-Final 2 – Humber Pilots 5, Essex Archers 6
3rd/4th Place – Bracknell Blazers 17, Humber Pilots 11
Final – Leicester Blue Sox 12, Essex Archers 8

by AspiDimitrov

FALCONS GO INTO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS AS THE UNDERDOGS

The 2009 National Baseball Championships take place on August 29-30 at Roundshaw Playing Fields in Croydon. Teams from the National Baseball League, Double-A and Single-A leagues will compete over the two days to decide the national champion at each level.

 

In previous seasons the showpiece event of the British Baseball calendar was referred to as the Final 4. This year the event has been renamed to the National Baseball Championships (or NBC) and given a brand new logo as above.

 

You can find a list of the qualifiers and the schedule for the weekend in the NBC document in the Downloads section.

 

Spectators are welcome and entry and car parking is free. Food and drinks will be available.

 

Click for directions to Roundshaw Fields.

 

 

NATIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS PREVIEW

 

Bracknell Blazers (14-10)

 

Built over recent years with a mixture of young British talent, including Michael and Ryan Trask and Matt Maitland, and experienced heads like former Great Britain player Josh Chetwynd, the Blazers made a vast improvement on last season and enter the NBC in good form with five straight wins.

 

Of this year's participants Bracknell have the most appearances in the championship weekender (four) but are yet to win an honour in the NBL.

 

Team history:

Bracknell Baseball Club was formed at the end of 1992 as a single adult team, the Blazers, and they played for the first time in 1993's BBF Southern Conference Division Three East.  The club instigated youth development work in local schools starting in 1994 and began a youth section, which has won either the Bronco or Pony titles in the last six years, the same year.  The Blazers moved up the BBF league structure steadily and were admitted to the Premier Division in 1998 and have played in the country's top division, currently the National League, ever since.  Blazers 14-10 record this season is their best regular season record since 2003.  The club ran multiple teams for a few years in the late 90s and established a second adult team, Blazers II, in 2006; their 12-0 record this season is the first unbeaten regular season in the club's history.

 

The club believes that young players should be given the chance to prove they can compete against the best players in the country.  The club has healthy links with Great Britain programmes.

 

Players to watch:

 

Ryan Trask

Ryan Trask first played for the Bracknell Mens team at the age of 14 and his younger brother Michael Trask is hot on his heels as one of the strongest players with the British National League. Ryan led the National Baseball League with 28 RBI in the regular season.

 

Tom Bray

Bracknell slugger Tom Bray compiled a .412 batting average in 2009 with a league best .644 OBA. He arguably has one of the best ‘eyes’ in the NBL, with 18 walks and 15 RBI.

 

Matt Maitland

Pitcher and GB World Cup hopeful Matt Maitland has tied Richmond’s Michael Osborn for most NBL regular season strikeouts. While he has only two wins this season, he boasts a 3.31 ERA and a WHIP of of 1.65.

  

 

  

  

Herts Falcons (12-12)

 

Last year's Triple-A Champions made a smart debut in the NBL, winning three of their first four games including a comeback victory against the 2008 National Champion Mets. However, they faded at the end, losing six in a row. Despite this, a .500 record over the season has proved the Falcons deserve to play at this level – a feat made yet more commendable given that only two years ago the Falcons were a Double-A team prior to back-to-back promotions. Manager Jason Greenberg will be looking for his side to rally for a final effort this weekend.

 

Team history:

 

Based in Hemel Hempstead, the Herts Falcons joined the BBF Leagues in 1997, achieving their first winning season a year later with an 11-3 record.  In 1999 they were invited to step up a division to the old BBF Southern Conference First Division. In 2004 they won the Division 1 South title and secured promotion to the Premier League where they played for two seasons only to suffer a heart-breaking playoff loss in 2006 sending the team back down to Division 1.  Since that setback, the team has taken British Baseball by storm winning back-to-back promotions, first from AA to AAA in 2007 and from AAA to the NBL in 2008.

 

This is the team’s first season in British Baseball’s top-tier and has proven many doubters wrong with an impressive .500 regular season record in 2009.  Over the years Herts has grown and is now the biggest adult programme in British Baseball with 4 adult teams playing in all 4 British Leagues.  In 2007 the club also started its youth programme and in its second year of existence has already managed to qualify for the 2009 BBF Youth National baseball Championship.

 

Players to watch:

 

Darrin Ward

‘The Colonel’, as he’s known to his Herts teammates, is a force to be reckoned with at the plate and on the mound. Ward has pitched more innings (74.2) in the NBL than anyone else in 2009 and amassed six wins in 12 decisions. He had a .413 regular season batting average with seven doubles.

 

Lin Yuchih

This Taiwanese infielder has a natural power swing with incredibly quick bat speed. His .342 batting average was second best on the Falcons (behind Ward), with eight doubles, 18 runs scored and 15 RBI.

 

Luis Goncalves

The youngest Falcon at age 15, Goncalves is universally considered one of the top prospects in the NBL. His range, glove and arm at shortstop is well-respected by rival clubs. While his average was merely .191 in 2009, he worked 13 walks and was 10/10 in stolen bases.

 

 

 

 

London Mets (17-7)

 

Defending Champions, the Mets lost a number of players from the all-conquering class of '08 which went 23-1 in the regular season. Despite this, the new-look squad led the league for much of this summer including a run of 13 wins in a row between May and August. But London comes into the NBC hoping it didn't peak too soon as it has lost three in a row including a final day sweep by Richmond which ousted it from first place.

 

One of the stories of the weekend looks to be the chance for some of London's Triple-A players to show their worth at the highest level as they've been promoted to replace a significant number of first-teamers who are unavailable.

 

Team history:

 

In 2007, the thriving London Mets Youth Baseball Club decided to launch an adult team aimed at young players who had outgrown the BBF youth leagues. The adult Mets were permitted to enter the BBF National League in their first season and finished as National Champions.

The London Mets continued to grow their senior programme in 2008, launching a AAA team (London Metros) who took the Wild Card spot in that year's Final 4. The London Mets NBL team were 2008 Southern League Champions and went on to be crowned National Baseball League Champions for the second year running, with a team that independent observers described as the best British team for a generation.

The lure of European competition and the forthcoming Baseball World Cup saw the London Mets lose ten members of the Championship-winning team, so that the 2009 season has been a rebuilding year for the club. Fortunately the strength in depth of the London Mets organisation has meant that the NBL line-up has been filled with quality players looking to secure the National Championship for the third successive year.

 

Players to watch:

 

Will Lintern

This British National Team catcher – soon to depart as a member of the GB World Cup roster – will undoubtedly keep rival baserunners at bay through the weekend. While he spent most of the season playing abroad in Germany, Lintern has brought his bat and leadership prowess back behind just in time to aid a depleted London squad.

 

Rob Antony and Carl Randall

These London sluggers took League honours for best batting average (Antony, .500) and runs scored (Randall, 33). Antony also had 18 stolen bases and a 90% fielding mark at shortstop. The boast three triples between them.

 

The AAA London Metros

With a significant number of first-string Mets unavailable for the Championships – including manager Alex Pike and starters Jason Roberts and Reid Wilson – it’s anybody’s guess who will step up and perform this weekend. Perhaps one of the four AAA players offered BBF dispensation to join the top-tier NBC…

 

 

 

 

Richmond Flames (17-7)

 

The first-placed Flames earned their first division title since joining the NBL in 2004 but are experienced in the postseason having won the National Championship in 2006 and lost in the final last year. Manager Grant Delzoppo sites the depth of pitching staff as one of his side's strengths and it certainly will be a key factor at the NBC with at least three games to play to win the Championship. The rotation includes three pitchers who rank highly in the pitching statistics: Cody Cain, named the league's Most Valuable Pitcher for 2009, Michael Osborn and Ryan Bird. These guys aren't shy with the bat either and Ryan Bird was named Most Valuable Batter in '09.

 

That multi-talented nature across the team has been another of Richmond's strengths in recent years although Delzoppo has minor concerns about his small squad being tested by the number of games this weekend. However, the Flames are fuelled by an eight-game winning streak – including a sweep of the defending champion Mets – and will be tipped as favourites.

 

Team history:

 

Richmond is one of the largest and most successful clubs in the UK, with three adult baseball teams in the BBF leagues, as well as an under 13 youth programme and women's and girls fastpitch softball with the Angels. Formed in 1992, the club won the London Tournament in both 2007 and 2008. Since 1992, the Richmond organization has worked hard both on and off the field to bring exciting baseball for all kinds of levels of players.

 

The Richmond Flames have played in the National Baseball League since 2004, and were the 2006 National Champions and defeated finalists in 2008. They finished the 2009 season 1st with a 17-7 record. The Richmond Dragons were established in 2003, and play in the A division and have finished with a 7-5 record.

 

Players to watch:

 

Ryan Bird

Named as the Most Valuable Batter for 2009, Ryan hit 0.449, (2nd in League), with 6 Home Runs (1st) and 27 RBIs (2nd). This is the second year in a row that Ryan has received this award and Ryan has played with Richmond since 2006 after relocating from South Africa. The hard throwing Ryan has also pitched strongly with a 4-1 record in 2009, an ERA of 1.85 and 14.4 K/9 Innings. Ryan will be one of the key players for the Flames in the playoffs.

 

Cody Cain

One of the most experienced pitchers in the National Baseball League, Cody was named as the Most Valuable Pitcher for 2009, with a league leading ERA of 1.67, and 3-1 record. A native of the USA, he played for Lewis and Clark College (Division 1), and the highlight was his team making it to the College Baseball World Series. With 495 Career Strikeouts to date, Cody only needs 5 Strikeouts in the post season to be the first player to reach 500 Career Strikeouts in the National Baseball League.

 

Mike Osborne

Starting baseball at the late age of 21, Mike is a veteran of more than 11 years at the National Baseball League. He originally played for the London Warriors, before moving over Richmond in 2006. A starting pitcher, this year Mike has a 6-3 record, with a league leading strike outs of 57. Mike has also contributed with the bat, hitting 0.346, and On Base of 0.455.

by AspiDimitrov

THE LAST WALTZ-ER

This was a last ride on the Raptors rollercoaster before the Theme Park closed for the season. There were a few screams, stomachs churned, hands were waved in the air — and when it was over, we wanted to do it all again. But we couldn't. Not just because it was now dark, and the Health and Safety people were itching to shut us down, but because this was our last game of the year.

It had been a classic see-saw battle with the Old Timers. And for me, it was a pretty busy one. An extraordinary number of chances seemed to come my way, even for a game at shortstop. The dramatic highlight was a pop-up which looked to be routine — until it disappeared in the blazing sun. I was just  shouting that I had lost it, when I suddenly saw a small black dot reappear and I was able to reach out and snatch it off the very tip of the grass. Slater had to take a few minutes to recover from his heart palpitations.

Of the grounders, I'm pleased to say that a couple were dealt with cleanly but, frustratingly, others got away — one took a bad hop and I could only stop it with my bare hand, others were blocked. As the game went on, I played closer and closer in, even on to the grass, and I think it helped. You lose some range, but for anything near me, it removed the danger of the bad hop as the ball goes on to the redgra, and mader my throw shorter. Most of the ground balls were not being hit that hard. Even this late in the season, you are still figuring out what works.

I have been highly critical of my own batting this season, and with justification. The batting title has long since gone west! At least this week, faced with the milder offerings of the Old Timers pitching, I was able to get bat on ball every time. But still I only hit shallow singles. Looking at the photos afterwards, it was clear that I wasn't generating any power from my legs. A little guy like me needs to use everything, and too often I was only swinging with my arms. As consolation for myself, I include a picture of me in a more successful at-bat — this was an RBI  single to the opposite field.

So the rides have all stopped now, the gates are closed, the candy-floss machine has been switched off. Somewhere in the dark is one of those scary-looking horses you see on the roundabout. Or maybe that's just one of the team who has had a rough night. This game had all the hallmarks of the Herts Raptors — both good and bad — and was a fitting finale. It would have been perfect if we had won of course, but dreams can't always come true. Even at the fun-fair.

by AspiDimitrov

EAGLES SHOT DOWN BY ARROWS

Report from Herts Baseball Newswire Correspondent, DAVE HAMILTON

 

The Herts Eagles were powerless to stop the Essex Arrows domination of the AAA league on Sunday, suffering two comprehensive defeats at the Waltham Abbey diamond.

 

Despite having run the Arrows close in their first encounter of the season at Grovehill, the visiting Eagles rarely looked like becoming the first team all season to beat the Essex side, whose record now stands at an amazing 23 wins (and no losses).

 

The high pointfor the Eagles was undoubtedly the performance of Ilya Dimitrov who normally plays for the Herts fourth team but was a late call up for the game.  He made several good plays in the outfield, including helping to throw out a runner at home plate, and also scored the Eagles only run of game 1 on a triple by Rod Ariss.

 

Some alert baserunning by manager Dave Westfallen gave the Eagles a brief lead in the second inning of game 2 but the Arrows' power hitters soon restored the home sides dominance and, with just nine players available this week, the Herts team had no reply.

 

The final scores were 11-1 and 15-4 but despite the heavy defeats, Westfallen praised the efforts of his team againstvery strong opposition.

 

The Eagles' final two games of the season are the rearranged fixture away to the Oxford Kings on August 23rd.

by AspiDimitrov

(AUDIO) BBC RADIO COVERAGE OF BRITISH BASEBALL

On Thursday, 6 August 2009, BBC London Radio 94.9FM aired a programme covering British Baseball.  Host Nick Godwin and guests representing all London-based teams from the NBL and AAA League who have qualified for the 2009 postseason discussed topics from the upcoming National Baseball Championship, staging an official MLB game in the UK as well as other issues facing British Baseball at the moment.

Among the special guests were Richmond General Manager and BBF Secretary, John Walmsley, London Mets President, Neil Warne, Bracknell Blazers President, Mark Salter, Essex Arrows President, David Shaer and Herts Falcons Manager, Jason Greenberg.

Click below to hear the programme in full.

 

by AspiDimitrov

FALCONS SLIDE CONTINUES, DROP TWO TO METS

Report from BBF Correspondent Simon Fitzjohn:

The London Mets kept up their relentless pace atop the NBL standings, but were made to work hard by the Herts Falcons in an entertaining doubleheader. London emerged victorious by scores of 7-2 and 4-3. Reed Wilson was the hero in game one, pitching another dominating game to frustrate the Herts hitters. Game two was much tighter though, with the Mets needing two passed balls, a stolen base and a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth to rally from a 3-2 deficit.

The Mets' Alex Pike said: “Reed pitched to perfection in the first game and I cannot ask for more than that. Game two was far closer but we still came through. Pressure means nothing to these guys and they always find a way to win. We are going to be missing quite a few of these guys in the play-offs so we need to try out a few new faces, but they are stepping up well.”

For Herts' manager Jason Greenberg it was a case of what might have been. He said: “In the first game we came up with only one hit, so no surprises in the result there. Game two we could have won and we are very disappointed. Even so I am very pleased that it was a game against the Mets that we controlled from the first inning. The day is getting closer where we beat this team and it is not considered an upset.”

More images from the Falcons' visit to the London Mets

GAME ONE

Herts Falcons at London Mets
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Herts Falcons 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 1 3
London Mets 1 0 2 0 1 3 0 7 6 2

London Mets 7, Herts Falcons 2
London Mets Herts Falcons
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Player 1 3b 3 1 0 0 Luis Goncalves ss 4 0 0 0
Player 2 ss 3 2 0 0 Kimiyoshi Saionji 2b 2 0 0 0
Player 3 lf 3 1 0 0 Lin Yuchih 3b 2 0 0 0
Player 4 c 4 1 1 4 Darrin Ward 1b 3 0 0 0
Player 5 dh 4 0 1 1 Jason Greenberg c 3 0 1 0
Player 6 1b 2 0 1 1 Dan Kerry lf 3 1 0 0
(t7) Sub 1 1b 0 0 0 0 Aspi Dimitrov rf 1 0 0 0
Player 7 cf 3 0 0 0 (t7) Carlos Casal rf 1 1 0 0
Player 8 2b 3 1 3 0 Nick Goetz p 2 0 0 0
(t7) Sub 4 2b 0 0 0 0 (t7) Lee Manning p 0 0 0 0
Player 9 rf 2 1 0 0 Jamie Munn cf 3 0 0 0
(t7) Sub 6 rf 0 0 0 0
Sub 16 p 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 27 7 6 6 TEAM TOTALS 24 2 1 0

E: Player 2, Sub 16, Lin Yuchih(2), Aspi Dimitrov. LOB: Herts Falcons 5, London Mets
7. 2B: Player 4, Player 5, Player 6, Player 8. SB: Player 2(3), Player 3, Player 1,
Carlos Casal.

London Mets IP H R ER BB SO
Sub 16 W 7.00 1 2 0 3 9
Herts Falcons            
Nick Goetz L 6.00 6 7 2 3 1

HBP: by Nick Goetz (Player 2). . . . . , by Sub 16 (Kimiyoshi Saionji), by Nick Goetz
(Player 9). . WP: Sub 16. PB: Player 4(4), Jason Greenberg. T: 1:45. A: 97.


GAME TWO

Herts ALL at Template Team
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Herts ALL 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 3 3 3
Template Team 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 4 5 3

Template Team 4, Herts ALL 3
Template Team Herts ALL
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Player 1 ss 3 1 2 1 Luis Goncalves ss 3 1 1 1
Player 2 lf-2b 3 1 1 2 Kimiyoshi Saionji rf 4 0 0 0
Player 3 3b 2 0 0 0 Lin Yuchih 1b 3 0 0 0
(b4) Sub 4 3b 1 0 0 0 Darrin Ward p 3 0 0 0
Player 4 dh 2 0 0 1 Dan Kerry cf 3 0 0 0
Player 5 cf 3 0 1 0 Lee Manning c 2 1 0 0
Player 6 c 3 0 0 0 Carlos Casal 2b 3 1 2 0
(t7) Sub 6 lf 0 0 0 0 Nick Goetz 3b 2 0 0 0
Player 7 2b 1 0 0 0 Jamie Munn rf 3 0 0 0
(b5) Sub 1 2b-c 1 0 0 0
Player 8 rf 1 1 0 0
(b5) Sub 2 rf 1 0 0 0
Player 9 1b 2 1 1 0
Sub 16 p 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 23 4 5 4 TEAM TOTALS 26 3 3 1

E: Player 1(2), Player 3, Luis Goncalves, Carlos Casal, Nick Goetz. DP: Herts ALL 2.
LOB: Template Team 2, Herts ALL 6. 2B: Player 1, Player 5. SB: Player 2, Luis
Goncalves(2), Carlos Casal, Lee Manning. SF: Player 4.

Template Team IP H R ER BB SO
Sub 16 W 7.00 3 3 0 4 5
Herts ALL            
Darrin Ward L 6.00 5 4 3 0 0

WP: Sub 16(2). PB: Player 6(3), Lee Manning(2). T: 15:15. A: 98.

by AspiDimitrov

RAPTORS GRILL MARAUDERS

Report from Herts Baseball Newswire Correspondent, JON GAMBLE

 

The Herts Raptors travelled to Finsbury Park on a grey Sunday afternoon with hopes of edging their way closer to the season play-offs. For the London Marauders it has been a long season as they went into the game still without a single win. The barbecue sizzles in the background.

 

The Herts team came out of the pits firing on all cylinders. Nippy base-stealing and a willingness to take advantage of some erratic pitching  quickly put four runs on the board. The Marauders were unable to respond as sharp fielding by the Raptors – including their first double-play of the day – made short work of the early London batting order. Perrie Sherman, returning from international pitching duties in Belgium, was looking at home in the catcher's box.

 

The Raptors made the most of some not-so-sharp fielding errors to add a further four runs in the top of the second. However, debut pitcher Jeff Witter appeared to take a liking to his new job for the Raptors – restricting the Marauders to only one run in reply.

 

The top of the third inning turned into a walkfest for the Raptors as a combination of sound hitting, wild pitching and aggressive base stealing piled on the runs. Someone famously said that there is no defence against a walk. For the London Marauders this was the hard lesson of the day. The Raptors base-stealing operation was working like a high-octane machine but uncontrolled pitching was also making it too easy to get batters round.

 

By the end of the decisive third inning, the Marauders have been grilled to order – as the Raptors lead stretches to 20-2. The Marauders were never able to get a serious rally going. This was largely the result of the disciplined pitching performance of Jeff Witter backed up by a very tidy fielding display from the rest of the Raptors – in which Iwan Evans, Andrew Slater and Paul Curtis should all get special mention. The Raptors improvement in the fielding department – including another crisp double play in the bottom of the fourth – was the hallmark of the game.

 

Of the three contests between these two sides this season, this was the most one-sided. The London Marauders are a genial side who play the game in the proper spirit, while the hospitality at Finsbury Park sets the standard for convivial sportsmanship. For the Marauders the road to baseball success surely lies through solving the pitching riddle. It is a puzzle that the Raptors have also struggled with throughout the season. Jeff Witter's economical performance on Sunday suggest that they have gone a some way towards solving it.

 

 

Herts Raptors at London Marauders
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Herts Raptors 4 4 12 0 0 3 1 24 8 2
London Marauders 0 1 1 0 3 0 1 6 4 5

Herts Raptors 24, London Marauders 6
Herts Raptors London Marauders
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Iwan Evans cf 6 5 3 3 Player 1 p 4 1 1 0
Ilya Dimitrov ss 2 4 0 1 Player 2 c 3 2 1 0
Andrew Slater 1b 6 4 2 3 Player 3 1b 1 2 0 0
Jonathon Lewys 3b 3 2 1 2 Player 4 2b 3 0 0 2
Paul Curtis 2b 2 2 1 0 Player 5 3b 2 1 0 0
Perrie Sherman c 2 1 0 2 Player 6 ss 4 0 1 0
Jeff Witter p 5 0 0 1 Player 7 lf 3 0 0 0
Robert Crouch lf 5 3 1 0 Player 8 cf 1 0 1 0
Jon Gamble rf 1 3 0 0 Player 9 rf 3 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 32 24 8 12 TEAM TOTALS 24 6 4 2

E: Paul Curtis, Perrie Sherman, Player 4(2), Player 5(2), Player 6. DP: Herts Raptors
2. LOB: London Marauders 6, Herts Raptors 12. 2B: Iwan Evans, Player 6. SB: Andrew
Slater(4), Jonathon Lewys(4), Ilya Dimitrov(4), Iwan Evans(3), Robert Crouch(3), Paul
Curtis(2), Perrie Sherman, Player 3(4), Player 5(3), Player 2(3), Player 1(2). SF:
Jonathon Lewys, Player 4.

Herts Raptors IP H R ER BB SO
Jeff Witter W 7.00 4 6 3 9 5
London Marauders            
Player 1 L 7.00 8 24 9 23 5

HBP: by Player 1 (Ilya Dimitrov). . , by Player 1 (Jon Gamble). . . . WP: Jeff
Witter(3), Player 1(9). PB: Player 2(7). T: 3:15. A: 98.

by AspiDimitrov

RICHMOND BESTS HERTS, MOVES INTO 2ND PLACE

NATIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE: WEEK 13

(this article was first published on www.britishbaseball.org)

 

London Sweeps Bracknell, Continues To Dominate NBL

 

The London Mets show no signs of slowing up at the top of the standings after earning another doubleheader sweep on Sunday, brushing off the Bracknell Blazers. The Mets emerged triumphant by scores of 13-1 and 10-8, stretching their record to an impressive 14-4 as the season hots up.

 

Reed Wilson and Jonathan Cramman claimed the wins, with Callum Woods smacking a home run to lead off game one. But they had to rely on a piece of defensive brilliance to claim game two, Giovanni Escalon making a leaping catch at the wall with two outs in the seventh to rob Ryan Trask of a game-winning three-run shot.

 

The Mets’ Alex Pike said: “We put lots of pressure on them today and it told. In game one we were very aggressive in our baserunning and they couldn’t handle it. In game two we did what we had to do. A win is a win as far as we are concerned, but Giovanni made a magical play.”

 

Bracknell coach Rob Rance admitted his side had been caught out. He said: “They played some good ball today. They caught us on a day when we were missing a few players and we did not do the simple things right.”

 

 

Richmond Bests Herts, Moves Into 2nd Place

 

Richmond came out on top in a battle of the chasing pack when they swept Herts Falcons 4-3 and 20-1.

 

The Flames came out on top in a real pitcher’s duel in game one, stealing the game in the bottom of the final inning. Ryan Bird pitched the win and belted a two-run home run, Darrin Ward taking the loss.

 

But things could not have been more different in game two, with the Flames blasting 13 runs in the first inning alone en route to a lopsided win. Cody Cain, Matt Spaulding, Ryan Bird and Haydn Chin smashed home runs, with Jason Greenberg providing the solitary response with Herts’ first homer of the season.

 

Richmond’s Grant Delzoppo said: “Things went really well for us. It was a good battle between two teams chasing London Mets and it was a good pair of wins. This will give us a lot of confidence to take forward.”

 

Herts Manager Jason Greenberg was understandably disappointed with the losses, but remained resolute about his team’s accomplishments thus far. “Baseball is about momentum, and when the Flames took the walk-off win in game one they also took the wind out of our sails. It’s already forgotten. We’re ecstatic with our season thus far and we’ll fight hard to win our four remaining games.”

 

GAME 1

Herts Falcons at Richmond Flames
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Herts Falcons 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 3 3 1
Richmond Flames 0 0 0 2 0 1 1 4 10 3

Richmond Flames 4, Herts Falcons 3
Richmond Flames Herts Falcons
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Marty Visser cf 4 0 1 1 Luis Goncalves ss 4 1 1 0
Haydn Chin ss 3 0 1 0 Kimiyoshi Saionji lf 3 1 0 0
Cody Cain p-rf-1b 3 1 1 0 Lin Yuchih 2b 3 1 0 0
Ryan Bird 4 rf-p 3 2 3 2 Darrin Ward p 3 0 1 0
Grant Delzoppo c 2 0 0 0 Jason Greenberg c 3 0 0 0
Mike Osborn 2b 3 0 0 0 Lee Manning 1b 2 0 1 1
Guy Lidbetter 1b 3 0 2 0 Carlos Casal rf 3 0 0 0
(t7) Matt Spaulding rf 0 0 0 0 Nick Goetz 3b 3 0 0 0
Brett Wakeley lf 3 1 1 0 Jamie Munn cf 2 0 0 0
Yushi Saito 3b 3 0 1 0 (t7) Aspi Dimitrov cf 1 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 27 4 10 3 TEAM TOTALS 27 3 3 1
E: Player 2, Player 4, Player 9, Carlos Casal. LOB: Herts Falcons 5, Richmond Flames
6. 2B: Player 4. HR: Player 4. SB: Player 4, Lin Yuchih.
Richmond Flames IP H R ER BB SO
Cody Cain 5.33 1 0 0 2 7
Ryan Bird W 1.67 2 3 0 0 3
Herts Falcons            
Darrin Ward L 6.00 10 4 3 1 4
WP: Darrin Ward(2). T: 1:38. A: 38.

GAME 2

Herts Falcons at Richmond Flames
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Herts Falcons 0 1 0 0 0 1 6 3
Richmond Flames 13 2 3 3 0 21 18 0

Richmond Flames 21, Herts Falcons 1
Richmond Flames Herts Falcons
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Player 1 cf 3 4 2 0 Luis Goncalves ss-p 3 0 2 0
Player 2 ss 3 1 1 4 Kimiyoshi Saionji cf 2 0 1 0
Player 3 3b 4 3 2 3 Lin Yuchih dh-rf-ss 3 0 0 0
Player 4 1b 4 3 3 4 Darrin Ward 3b 2 0 0 0
(t4) Sub 1 2b 1 0 1 1 Lee Manning c 2 0 0 0
Player 5 c 4 2 3 0 Jason Greenberg 1b 2 1 1 1
Player 6 dh 4 1 1 1 Carlos Casal 2b 2 0 1 0
Player 7 2b-p 3 1 1 0 Aspi Dimitrov rf-p 2 0 0 0
Player 8 lf 2 3 2 3 Jamie Munn lf 2 0 1 0
Player 9 rf 3 3 2 4 Nick Goetz p 0 0 0 0
Sub 7 p-1b 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 31 21 18 20 TEAM TOTALS 20 1 6 1
E: Jamie Munn, Lee Manning, Nick Goetz. LOB: Herts Falcons 4, Richmond Flames 8. 2B:
Player 3, Player 9. HR: Player 3, Player 9, Player 4, Player 2, Jason Greenberg. SB:
Player 5(2), Player 1(2), Luis Goncalves, Carlos Casal.
Richmond Flames IP H R ER BB SO
Sub 7 W 3.00 4 1 1 0 3
Player 7 2.00 2 0 0 0 3
Herts Falcons            
Nick Goetz L 1.67 14 15 9 2 0
Aspi Dimitrov 1.67 3 5 5 5 0
Luis Goncalves 0.67 1 1 1 1 1
HBP: by Nick Goetz (Player 3). , by Aspi Dimitrov (Player 2). . . WP: Luis Goncalves.
PB: Lee Manning(3). T: 2:05. A: 38.

by AspiDimitrov

EAGLES WIN ANOTHER EXTRA INNINGS THRILLER!

Report from Herts Baseball Newswire Correspondent, DAVE HAMILTON

 

The Herts Eagles once again treated their home fans to an exhilarating afternoon of baseball in blazing sunshine on Sunday, recording yet another walk off victory, this time against the Richmond Knights.  The Grovehill faithful have certainly had more than their fair share of excitement from Herts second team as for the third home fixture in a row, game one in the AAA double-header went right down to the wire…

 

Despite Richmond's first batter of the game hitting a home run, the Eagles had looked very comfortable early on, building up a solid 9-3 lead in the first two innings – Mike Wakelam's two run double the highlight of a six run burst in the second inning.

 

Richmond started edging back though and eventually knocked pitcher Aspi Dimitrov out of the game in the sixth inning as they cut the lead to 11-9.  A baserunning blunder in the bottom of the sixth inning allowed Richmond to escape without conceding any further runs and, when the visitors scored two runs in the final inning to tie the score it looked like the Eagles might snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

 

This time there were to be no heroics for the Eagles in their final at bat and so once again the Grovehill faithful were treated to the nail-biting excitement of extra innings.  Richmond were batting first but Nick Russell, making his pitching debut for the Eagles, held his nerve on the mound and claimed a critical strikeout as the Knights were unable to drive home the potential winning run from third base.

 

Still tied at 11-11, the Eagles had another chance at victory and Mike Wakelam completed a great game with the bat by claiming his fourth hit of the game to lead off the innings.  He then stole second and advanced to third base on a wild pitch before handing over to pinch-runner Lee Manning.  With Aspi Dimitrov at the plate (who already had three hits of his own in the game), another wild pitch gave the Eagles victory, Manning racing down the line before the catcher could recover the ball.

 

After the game, manager Dave Westfallen attributed the win to his team's execution of a number of key plays, with some aggressive baserunning tactics being successfully combined with bunts and hit and run plays to manufacture runs, while the visitors were more reliant on power hitting.  Special praise also went to winning pitcher Nick Russell who had filled in admirably in the absence of the regular Eagles relievers.

 

Unfortunately the Eagles were once again unable to carry their early success over into game two, trailing 15-1 in the middle of the fourth inning.  The home fans were given something to cheer about with an eight run fourth inning rally, capped by Jason Greenberg's two run double, but the unlikely comeback was swiftly halted by Richmond.  Unfortunately Rod Ariss and Dave Westfallen were unable to replicate Russell's earlier success as they too were called into action for their pitching debuts, the Knights eventually claiming a 23-9 victory under the slaughter rule.

 

All Herts teams have a week off from regular season action next weekend, as focus switches to Croydon where two combined squads will be competing against teams of all levels in the weekend long 'London Tournament'.  The Eagles' next league fixtures are away to the Oxford Kings on July 19th.

 

GAME 1

Richmond Knights at Herts Eagles
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 R H E
Richmond Knights 1 2 0 3 0 3 2 0 11 13 2
Herts Eagles 3 6 1 1 0 0 0 1 12 13 2

Herts Eagles 12, Richmond Knights 11
Herts Eagles Richmond Knights
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Rod Ariss ss 1 1 0 1 Player 1 ss 5 4 3 3
Carlos Casal 3b 4 2 1 1 Player 2 c 3 1 2 3
Nick Russell lf-p 5 2 1 0 Player 3 p 3 1 1 2
Darrin Ward 1b 4 2 2 2 Player 4 1b 4 0 2 0
Dave Westfallen c-2b 4 1 1 2 Player 5 3b 5 0 1 0
Mike Wakelam 2b-rf 5 1 4 3 Player 6 2b 5 0 0 0
(b8) Lee Manning pr-rf 0 1 0 0 Player 7 lf 3 2 1 0
Dave Hamilton cf 2 0 0 1 Player 8 cf 4 3 3 1
Aspi Dimitrov p-lf 3 1 3 1 Player 9 rf 3 0 0 1
Tim Elkins rf 2 1 1 0
(b5) Jason Greenberg rf-c 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 30 12 13 11 TEAM TOTALS 35 11 13 10

E: Carlos Casal, Jason Greenberg, Player 4, Player 6. DP: Richmond Knights 1. LOB:
Richmond Knights 8, Herts Eagles 9. 2B: Mike Wakelam(2), Player 4, Player 1, Player
2. 3B: Player 8. HR: Player 1, Player 3. SB: Aspi Dimitrov(3), Rod Ariss(3), Nick
Russell, Dave Westfallen, Dave Hamilton, Tim Elkins, Lee Manning, Player 5(2), Player
1, Player 8. CS: Nick Russell. SB: Dave Hamilton, Jason Greenberg. SF: Rod Ariss,
Player 2.

Herts Eagles IP H R ER BB SO
Aspi Dimitrov 5.00 10 8 6 5 4
Nick Russell W 3.00 3 3 1 1 4
Richmond Knights            
Player 3 L 7.33 13 12 9 9 2

HBP: by Player 3 (Tim Elkins). . . , by Nick Russell (Player 9). . WP: Player 3(4).
PB: Dave Westfallen(2), Jason Greenberg. T: 2:55. A: 43.

GAME 2

Richmond Knights at Herts Eagles
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Richmond Knights 0 8 0 7 8 23 13 6
Herts Eagles 0 0 1 8 0 9 6 5

Richmond Knights 23, Herts Eagles 9
Richmond Knights Herts Eagles
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Player 1 p 4 3 1 2 Rod Ariss cf-p-ss 4 1 1 0
Player 2 c 3 3 3 3 Carlos Casal 3b-2b 1 1 0 1
Player 3 1b 2 3 1 2 Andy Cornish 2b-cf 2 1 0 0
Player 4 2b 4 3 3 2 Darrin Ward 1b-3b 2 0 1 1
Player 5 3b 4 2 2 1 Dave Westfallen ss-p 2 2 1 0
Player 6 ss 4 3 3 5 Jason Greenberg c 2 1 2 3
Player 7 lf 2 2 0 0 Nick Russell lf 2 1 0 0
Player 8 cf 4 1 0 1 Dave Hamilton rf 2 1 0 0
Player 9 rf 2 3 0 1 Tim Elkins dh 3 1 1 1
Mike Wakelam p-1b 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 29 23 13 17 TEAM TOTALS 20 9 6 6

E: Player 8(2), Player 6(2), Player 4, Player 9, Jason Greenberg(2), Carlos Casal,
Andy Cornish, Dave Westfallen. DP: Herts Eagles 1. LOB: Herts Eagles 4, Richmond
Knights 6. 2B: Player 6(2), Player 4(2), Jason Greenberg. 3B: Rod Ariss. SB: Player
1(2), Player 5(2), Player 2(2), Player 9, Player 6, Player 3, Player 7, Player 4,
Carlos Casal(2), Dave Hamilton(2), Nick Russell. CS: Jason Greenberg, Darrin Ward.
SF: Darrin Ward.

Richmond Knights IP H R ER BB SO
Player 1 W 5.00 6 9 4 6 3
Herts Eagles            
Mike Wakelam L 3.00 7 11 6 6 5
Rod Ariss 1.33 4 8 4 3 1
Dave Westfallen 0.67 2 4 4 4 0

HBP: by Mike Wakelam (Player 3). . . , by Player 1 (Carlos Casal). , by Dave
Westfallen (Player 7). PB: Jason Greenberg(2). T: 2:43. A: 42.