Category: Club News

by AspiDimitrov

HERTS FALCONS 12 ESSEX ARROWS 11

  

Herts Falcons at Essex Arrows
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Herts Falcons 1 8 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 12 18 6
Essex Arrows 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 11 11 2

Herts Falcons12, Essex Arrows 11
Herts Falcons Essex Arrows
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
GONCALVES Luis ss 5 1 1 0 SONGWON Jeon rf 5 2 2 1
CASAL Carlos 2b 5 1 2 2 SHAER David 1b 4 2 4 2
GREENBERG Jason dh-c 3 3 2 0 CHESTERTON Richard p-cf 5 2 2 3
CORNISH Andy c 3 1 2 1 LOUW Lance 3b 5 0 0 0
(b4) GOETZ Nic p-3b 2 0 1 0 GILBERT Matt cf-p 4 1 0 1
CULLEN Marty 1b 5 1 2 1 FOLEY Luke ss 4 1 3 1
SAIONJI Kimiyoshi lf 4 2 2 1 FLORENCE Brandon lf 3 1 0 0
KIKEL Peter 3b-p 5 2 4 3 (t6) MERTZ Matt lf 2 0 0 0
MUNN Jamie cf 4 0 1 0 CHRISTOFOROU Chris c 2 2 0 0
MARTINEZ Marc rf 5 1 1 0 CLARK Andrew 2b 5 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 41 12 18 8 TEAM TOTALS 39 11 11 8

 

E: CASAL Carlos, GREENBERG Jason, KIKEL Peter, MARTINEZ Marc, SAIONJI Kimiyoshi,
GOETZ Nic, CHESTERTON Richard(2). DP: Herts ALL 1. LOB: Herts ALL 7, Essex Arrows 11.
2B: CORNISH Andy, CHESTERTON Richard. HR: KIKEL Peter(2), SAIONJI Kimiyoshi,
CHESTERTON Richard. SB: MARTINEZ Marc, GREENBERG Jason, GONCALVES Luis, SONGWON Jeon,
FOLEY Luke, CHRISTOFOROU Chris. SF: SONGWON Jeon.

Herts Falcons IP H R ER BB SO
GOETZ Nic W 7.00 6 6 3 2 4
KIKEL Peter 2.00 5 5 4 3 3
Essex Arrows            
GILBERT Matt 7.33 11 3 1 0 7
CHESTERTON Richard L 1.67 7 9 4 5 0

HBP: by GOETZ Nic (FOLEY Luke). . . . , by GOETZ Nic (CHRISTOFOROU Chris), by GOETZ
Nic (SHAER David). . , by KIKEL Peter (GILBERT Matt). . WP: KIKEL Peter. PB:
CHRISTOFOROU Chris(4). Balk: GOETZ Nic. T: 3:12. A: 196.
Herts ALL – Top of the 1st:
GONCALVES Luis grounded out.
CASAL Carlos flied out.
GREENBERG Jason walked, advanced to 2nd on passed ball, batted forward to home.
CORNISH Andy doubled, advanced to 3rd on passed ball, 1 RBI.
CULLEN Marty grounded out.
1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Essex Arrows – Bottom of the 1st:
SONGWON Jeon singled, batted forward to 3rd.
SHAER David walked, forced out at 2nd.
CHESTERTON Richard hit into double play.
LOUW Lance popped out.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Herts ALL – Top of the 2nd:
SAIONJI Kimiyoshi hit solo home run, 1 RBI.
KIKEL Peter hit solo home run, 1 RBI.
MUNN Jamie walked, picked off.
MARTINEZ Marc singled, stole 2nd, advanced to 3rd on passed ball, batted forward to
home.
GONCALVES Luis walked, stole 2nd, batted forward to home.
CASAL Carlos singled, picked off, 2 RBI.
GREENBERG Jason walked, batted forward to home.
CORNISH Andy singled, batted forward to 3rd, advanced to home on passed ball.
CULLEN Marty singled, batted forward to 2nd, advanced to 3rd on passed ball, batted
forward to home, 1 RBI.
SAIONJI Kimiyoshi walked, advanced to 2nd on passed ball, batted forward to 3rd,
awarded home.
KIKEL Peter singled, picked off, 1 RBI.
8 runs, 7 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Essex Arrows – Bottom of the 2nd:
GILBERT Matt reached on error, advanced to home on error.
FOLEY Luke hit by pitch, advanced to 3rd on error, batted forward to home.
FLORENCE Brandon reached on error, advanced to 2nd on error, batted forward to 3rd,
advanced to home on balk.
CHRISTOFOROU Chris walked, advanced to 2nd on balk, batted forward to home.
CLARK Andrew struck out swinging.
SONGWON Jeon sacrifice flied, 1 RBI.
SHAER David singled, batted forward to home, 1 RBI.
CHESTERTON Richard hit 2-run home run, 2 RBI.
LOUW Lance flied out.
6 runs, 2 hits, 2 errors, 0 LOB.
Herts ALL – Top of the 3rd:
MUNN Jamie struck out looking.
MARTINEZ Marc grounded out.
GONCALVES Luis singled.
CASAL Carlos grounded out.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Essex Arrows – Bottom of the 3rd:
GILBERT Matt flied out.
FOLEY Luke singled, advanced to 2nd on error.
FLORENCE Brandon flied out.
CHRISTOFOROU Chris popped out.
0 runs, 1 hit, 1 error, 1 LOB.
Herts ALL – Top of the 4th:
GREENBERG Jason popped out.
CORNISH Andy grounded out.
CULLEN Marty singled, advanced to 3rd on error.
SAIONJI Kimiyoshi flied out.
0 runs, 1 hit, 1 error, 1 LOB.
Essex Arrows – Bottom of the 4th:
CLARK Andrew flied out.
SONGWON Jeon struck out swinging.
SHAER David singled.
CHESTERTON Richard struck out swinging.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Herts ALL – Top of the 5th:
KIKEL Peter hit solo home run, 1 RBI.
MUNN Jamie struck out swinging.
MARTINEZ Marc struck out looking.
GONCALVES Luis grounded out.
1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Essex Arrows – Bottom of the 5th:
LOUW Lance struck out swinging.
GILBERT Matt grounded out.
FOLEY Luke singled, stole 2nd.
FLORENCE Brandon popped out.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Herts ALL – Top of the 6th:
CASAL Carlos flied out.
GREENBERG Jason singled, stole 2nd.
GOETZ Nic called out by illegally batted ball.
CULLEN Marty flied out.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Essex Arrows – Bottom of the 6th:
CHRISTOFOROU Chris hit by pitch, forced out at 2nd.
CLARK Andrew reached on fielder's choice, batted forward to 2nd.
SONGWON Jeon grounded out.
SHAER David hit by pitch.
CHESTERTON Richard popped out.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Herts ALL – Top of the 7th:
SAIONJI Kimiyoshi grounded out.
KIKEL Peter lined out.
MUNN Jamie struck out swinging.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Essex Arrows – Bottom of the 7th:
LOUW Lance flied out.
GILBERT Matt flied out.
FOLEY Luke reached on error, forced out at 2nd.
MERTZ Matt reached on fielder's choice.
0 runs, 0 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB.
Herts ALL – Top of the 8th:
MARTINEZ Marc struck out.
GONCALVES Luis popped out.
CASAL Carlos singled, batted forward to 3rd, advanced to home on error.
GREENBERG Jason singled, batted forward to 2nd, advanced to 3rd on error, awarded
home.
GOETZ Nic singled, picked off.
2 runs, 3 hits, 1 error, 0 LOB.
Essex Arrows – Bottom of the 8th:
CHRISTOFOROU Chris walked, advanced to 2nd on error, batted forward to 3rd, stole
home.
CLARK Andrew struck out looking.
SONGWON Jeon singled, stole 2nd, batted forward to home.
SHAER David singled, batted forward to 2nd, advanced to 3rd on wild pitch, batted
forward to home, 1 RBI.
CHESTERTON Richard walked, advanced to 2nd on wild pitch, batted forward to home.
LOUW Lance walked, batted forward to 3rd, forced out at home.
GILBERT Matt hit by pitch, batted forward to 3rd, 1 RBI.
FOLEY Luke singled, batted forward to 2nd, 1 RBI.
MERTZ Matt struck out looking.
CHRISTOFOROU Chris reached on fielder's choice.
4 runs, 3 hits, 1 error, 3 LOB.
Herts ALL – Top of the 9th:
CULLEN Marty struck out.
SAIONJI Kimiyoshi singled, batted forward to 3rd.
KIKEL Peter singled, batted forward to 2nd.
MUNN Jamie singled.
MARTINEZ Marc struck out looking.
GONCALVES Luis flied out.
0 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 3 LOB.

Essex Arrows – Bottom of the 9th:
CLARK Andrew reached on error, forced out at 2nd.
SONGWON Jeon reached on fielder's choice, batted forward to home.
SHAER David singled, tagged out going to 2nd.
CHESTERTON Richard doubled, 1 RBI.
LOUW Lance struck out swinging.
1 run, 2 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB.
by AspiDimitrov

ONE VENUE, 14 TEAMS AND 10 HOURS OF NON-STOP BASEBALL

 

This year, British Baseball is introducing several special events as part of the league schedule, and the first of these, the NBL Summer Classic, will take place this Saturday, June 5.

All eight teams from Britain’s top league will come to the same venue and each team will play one nine-inning game. Since these games are part of the league schedule, the outcomes could have a crucial effect on the race for the post-season.

The event will be held at Grovehill Ballpark, the home of the Herts Falcons in Hemel Hempstead. The venue has undergone major building work in the last two years, and last month the club unveiled its brand new second diamond. As a result, Herts is now able to stage these large national events.

With this event taking place on a Saturday, it is rare opportunity for AAA, AA and Single-A league teams to make the trip to Herts for a day packed with top-quality baseball.

STARS OF THE FUTURE LEADING OFF

The day will begin at 10.00 am with youth league games involving the six Herts Little League teams.

Combining youth and adult league games as part of the same event is unusual in British Baseball, but it is expected to be an effective way to bring baseball communities together, increase attendances and make events more vibrant and enjoyable.

Bracknell (9-1) v Croydon (4-6) on Diamond One at 12:00

The NBL action starts at noon as the 2009 Champions Bracknell Blazers take on the Croydon Pirates. Bracknell goes into the game with an impressive nine-game winning streak. The resurgent Croydon Pirates split their doubleheader with the Herts Falcons last Sunday, which puts them in fourth place in the standings. Can they cause an upset against the Blazers?

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Maikel Azcuy (Croydon) leads the league in home runs after his grand slam on Sunday at Herts, his fifth home run of the season.

Brendan Cunliffe (Bracknell) has been an RBI-machine for the Blazers so far this year. He hits for average (BA .500) and for power (3HR and Slugging .929). He leads the league in RBIs (13).

 

 

Essex (0-10) v Herts (3-7) on Diamond Two at 13:45

Neighbours Essex Arrows and Herts Falcons will resume their long-standing rivalry on Saturday. Essex have been showing signs of revival and they will probably target their game against Herts as a perfect opportunity to record their first win of the season.

On Sunday, Herts returned home after a painful six-game road trip and ended their losing streak, coming back from a three-run deficit in the bottom of the seventh inning to win against Croydon.

Two of Herts’ key pitchers are on the disabled list and the question is whether those players who are healthy can keep the team in touch with the pack. Despite their bad starts, both teams are still in the running for playoff places, and they will be desperate to pick up a win on Saturday and put their seasons back on track.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Jeon Sungwon (Essex) is tied for the lead for most base hits (15) so far this season in the NBL.

Luis Goncalves (Herts), a 16-year-old shortstop, has been phenomenal with both bat and glove in his second season in the NBL.

Southampton (4-8) v Mildenhall (4-6) on Diamond One at 15:30

Despite finding themselves second from bottom in the standings, the Southampton Mustangs have quietly been producing some very impressive performances against the top teams in the league. Saturday’s game against the Mildenhall Bulldogs is the first of five upcoming games which they will see as must-win to put them right back in the race for the post-season.

After winning their opening four games, Mildenhall have suffered six losses in a row. Can they turn their season around against Southampton? They will go into the game with confidence, in the knowledge that just a few weeks ago they came out on top against the Mustangs on the same field in the final week of the Herts Spring League.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Charles Truelson (Southampton) may not have a 90 mph fastball but he more than compensates for that with control and movement. He has picked up two of the four wins for the Mustangs so far this year with an ERA of 5.40.

Jon Mabie (Mildenhall) is one of the toughest catchers in the league and a perfect example for young players of what it means to give 100% on every play. He has a batting average of .389 with 5 RBIs.

London (11-1) v Richmond (7-3) on Diamond Two at 17:00

This is undoubtedly the game of the day. The first-placed London Mets are bringing back memories of their championship-winning seasons in 2007 and 2008. However, after a slow start, the Richmond Flames are back to their best and on Saturday we will find out if they can stop the Mets.

This is billed as the main event of the NBL Summer Classic this Saturday and the other games have been scheduled to finish in time for all those attending to gather around the brand new diamond at Herts for this unmissable clash.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Jason Roberts (London) leads the league in wins (5) and strikeouts (38).

Ryan Bird (Richmond) is the 2008 and 2009 MVP.

SCHEDULE: SATURDAY, JUNE 5

10:00 – Herts Little League games: Yankees @ Cubs, Red Sox @ Cardinals, Tornadoes @ Crocs (Diamond 2).

11:30 – Herts Little League games: Red Sox @ Yankees, Cubs @ Cardinals, Crocs @ Tornadoes (Diamond 2).

12:00 – NBL: Croydon Pirates @ Bracknell Blazers (Diamond 1).

13:45 – NBL: Herts Falcons @ Essex Arrows (Diamond 2).

15:30 – NBL: Mildenhall Bulldogs @ Southampton Mustangs (Diamond 1).

17:00 – NBL: Richmond Flames @ London Mets (Diamond 2).

VENUE

Grovehill Ballpark is located at Washington Avenue, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire HP2 6NH.

For a map and directions, click here.

For more details please contact Herts Baseball Club via the official website.

Photos by:

— event-photos.co.uk

— www.hp2photographic.com

 

by AspiDimitrov

OPENING DAY HOME RUNS, NO-HITTERS, WALK-OFF WINS…AND HOT DOGS

Herts Little League players and fans are standing for the National Anthem

 

Report from Herts Little League Correspondent, Tracey Manning

The sun is shining and the smell of hotdogs is in the air, which means that the 2010 Herts Little League season is under way at Grovehill Ballpark with eager kids and parents alike.

This year’s teams in the Majors Division are the Red Sox, Yankees, Cubs and Cardinals and in the Minors Division the players themselves chose the names of the teams and they are the Herts Tornados and the Herts Crocs.

On Diamond 1 the Cardinals and Cubs opened up the new season and the newcomers quickly gelled into their new teams to produce a great game. With a dominant performance by Carlos Casal Jr on the mound and with some timely hitting, the Cardinals picked up the win with a final score of 4-0.

Over on Diamond 2 the Red Sox and the Yankees resumed their rivalry in a cracking game. With much gusto and plenty of heart-in-your-mouth action the game ended dramatically in a 4-4 tie.

On Diamond 3 the Herts Tornados and the Herts Crocs got off to a flying start and boy can those Minor Leaguers play a fast game. The final score was 12-11 to the Tornados.

 

 

Opening Day Guest of Honour was Milwaukee Brewers Coach, Sam Dempster.

The Herts Little League players and parents had the opportunity to shake his hand

and thank him for his support and the tremendous contribution which he has

made for the development of Herts Baseball Club over the last few years.

 

 

After lunch, and plenty of hot dogs and Krispy Kreme doughnuts later, the second games of the day got under way. The Red Sox were too strong for the Cardinals winning with a final score of 13-5.In the other game it looked like the Cubs was going to run away with the win after taking a 9-0 lead, but the Yankees had other plans and fought back with a new-found energy. It proved to be too little too late for them with the Cubs winning 9-5. Nick Martinez was the winning pitcher but Jordan Carter and Lewis Green played a key role in relief.

As the younger members played their last game off the day at a little slower pace the Crocs got their revenge after the loss earlier in the day winning the second game in the series 8-6.

The opening day of the season was the hottest day of the year so far, but the players kept cool and all enjoyed the day. Everyone can’t wait for the next game day, great support from friends and families wonderful turn out and may it continue.

 

 

More images from the 2010 Opening Day

by AspiDimitrov

HISTORIC WEEKEND FOR HERTS BASEBALL

This weekend will see history made at Grovehill ballpark in Hemel Hempstead, as the new second field hosts its first games. The Herts club has existed since 1996 but now, for the first time, it will have two specially constructed baseball diamonds. Only a handful of British clubs can boast such excellent facilities. This will allow two of the club’s four adult teams to play simultaneously, and allow as many as six Little League games to take place at once. That will mean Herts can host even more major events, such as the end of season National League playoffs.

The first action on the new diamond will be when the Little League players start their season this Saturday, May 22nd. The competition involves 6 teams of kids playing 16 games each, culminating in the League Finals held at Grovehill on 7th August. The Yankees are the reigning champions from the last two years – can anyone else take their crown this year? The top performers from the Little League will then be chosen to play for the Herts All Stars at the British National Championships. Last season, the Herts team finished as runners-up after a memorable, heart-wrenching 1-0 ballgame against the London Mets. Boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 14 can join the club at any time, and they could the star of this year’s campaign.

 

The adults will get their turn on the new turf on Sunday. The Herts Hawks will be the men in the history books, christening the field with a game against the Sidewinders of north London. Later in the day, the Herts Raptors will take on the Tonbridge Bobcats. This moment in history has been made possible by the generous support of many organisations — the sport’s governing body, BSUK; Awards for All; Sport England; Dacorum Borough Council and Dacorum Sports Network – as well as the Royal Bank of Scotland and our valuable sponsor, BMW Scotthall Watford. The players themselves have also put in enormous amounts of hard work.

 

by AspiDimitrov

BREAKTHROUGH FOR HERTS TEAMS

The Herts Hawks notched up their first win of the season on Sunday when they travelled to play the Croydon Pirates III. The visitors trailed 7-2 at one point but staged an astonishing comeback to claim a 12-9 victory. Team Manager Greg Bochan pitched a complete game and got the win. In the second half of their double-header the Hawks were victims of a comeback by the Pirates. They led by two runs going into the final inning but went down 15-14.

The Herts Eagles – who play in the AAA Division — also claimed their first wins of the season, sweeping the Essex Redbacks in a double-header. Essex are new to the league this year but the Herts team took no mercy on them — veteran Darrin Ward was credited with the win in an opening 12-10 victory; Louis Hare claimed the W as the Eagles then extended their dominance with a 19-9 win.

The club’s rookie team, the Herts Raptors, continue to improve and to discover more talent in their ranks, although once again they fell short of a win against Guildford. Bryan Drummond pitched four solid innings before being substituted for first-time hurler Phil Gover. Raptors’ manager Ken Pike called the southpaw’s performance “pretty stunning”, and he was also pleased with his side’s improved hitting. Once the players got used to a bumpy infield and a strong wind, they were every bit a match for their hosts. Raptors went down 23-10 but Pike is increasingly optimistic about the future.

The news was not so good for the Herts Falcons of the elite National League. Their early-season struggles continued when they took on the Bracknell Blazers, the reigning national champions. In the first inning of the first game Herts gave up 11 runs, making the task all but impossible. The rest of the game was tight, but Falcons lost 13-2. In the second half of the match-up, 16 year old phenom Luis Goncalves pitched a brilliant game, keeping the Blazers off balance. But after four innings, fielding errors crept in and cost the team dear. This time Bracknell ran out 17-7 victors. Manager, Jason Greenberg, admitted it was disappointing day, but many players were away or injured and the Falcons hope to bounce back quickly and show the League what they can really do.

by AspiDimitrov

BBC VIEWERS GET A TASTE OF HERTS BASEBALL

The following article was first published on www.britishbaseball.org

GOOD WEEKEND FOR BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL ON THE BBC

 

It was a good May Bank Holiday weekend for British baseball and softball on BBC national radio and television.

Softball on Radio 2

It began on the Friday Fixture slot on Simon Mayo’s Drivetime on BBC Radio 2 just before 7.00 pm.

This segment features sports that don’t get as much publicity as they deserve, and in a three-minute interview with sports reporter Matt Williams, Bob Fromer, BSUK Communications Consultant and GB Softball General Manager, was able to promote co-ed slowpitch softball as a participation sport and the GB Women’s Fastpitch Team for their achievement in qualifying for this summer’s World Championships in Venezuela despite receiving no public funding.

Baseball on BBC 1

Then, on the BBC 1 Breakfast programme on Saturday morning, their resident intrepid sports reporter Mike Bushell visited Herts Baseball Club to see what was happening and have a go.

The report covered the encouraging growth in British Baseball league teams this season and the developing youth programme at Herts, and Herts player-manager and GB Baseball General Manager Jason Greenberg was able to promote the current fund-raising drive to get the GB Baseball Team to this summer’s European Championships.

Given the general reluctance of mainstream media in this country to pay much attention to minority sports, the coverage this weekend was very welcome, and the BBC should be commended for providing it.

Click here for more photos featuring the Herts Little Leaguers and Mike Bushell’s tryout with the Herts Falcons

by AspiDimitrov

HERTS LITTLE LEAGUERS START PREPARATIONS FOR 2010 BASEBALL SEASON

 

 

 

After the long cold winter the Herts Baseball Little League players returned to the ballpark for the first Spring Training session in preparation for the 2010 season. Apart from returning members, the Herts Little League welcomed many newcomers and all the signs indicate that this will be another great Little league season in Hertfordshire.

As usual at this time of the year the coaches put the players through their paces with a selection of drills focusing on the fundamentals of baseball. There was even time for a quick game and the coaches of the teams were some of the more experienced Little Leaguers. Some of them may be just 11 or 12 years of age, but they certainly sent a message to the Little League coaches who appeared very concerned about their job security.

The Herts Baseball Little League will be announcing more details about the 2010 season shortly.

 

FINAL TOUCHES – SECOND DIAMOND READY FOR BASEBALL

 

While the Little Leaguers were going through their pre-season preparations on the main diamond, Herts Baseball members were fine-tuning the second diamond. With the pitching mound built to MLB specifications and the anchors for the basis firmly in place, the field is now ready for baseball. The most valuable volunteers (MVVs) of the day were Tom Green, Greg Bochan, Marc Martinez, Lawrence Green and Kal Dimitrov.

The first official game which will be played on the second diamond is expected to be a Herts Little League game, while the first adult league games will take place on 23 May when the Herts Hawks play against the Sidewinders and the Herts Raptors take on Tonbridge.

 

by AspiDimitrov

THIS IS WHERE IT STARTS

Beatiful spring sunshine; a shimmering green expanse of grass, broken only by the orange slash of a home run fence; the steady background hum of the motorway. This was Opening Day for the Herts Raptors, on the road in Southampton. This is where it starts.

Whatever history shows of the season, I can say that I scored the first Raptors run. And that felt good. Mustangs were clearly a more experienced and powerful side but, after falling behind, Raptors battled back. I led off an inning — maybe the fourth — with a walk and then a steal, before the batter and I telepathically went for a hit and run and I scored on a ground ball bouncing through the infield.

Overall my batting was a rally-killer, so apologies to the team for that. Regular readers of this blog — of which I'm sure there are many — know I spent much of last season moaning about my approach at the plate. It's one area where I feel I should do a whole lot better and I needed to be more aggressive yesterday. I shall console myself that I got better each time I had to swing, going from three watched strikes, to a foul tip, to a ground-out. Had I come up again, presumably I'd have got a hit!

My fielding was more successful. I had a couple of unnecessarily dramatic catches of infield pop-ups, and didn't drop anything that came my way at first base (you can tell I have such high expectations). For rookies, the Raptors were really solid in the field. Tom made an excellent debut behind the plate; Phil and Bobby made tough plays look easy from third and short; and Jim made a really good over the shoulder grab at second base. William was our second debutant catcher of the day and he did a fine job blocking my debut effort off the mound. But more of that another time….

No feeling could have been better than winning, especially winning against the odds, but there were plenty of smiles as the Raptors packed up for the day. We did not beat ourselves and, in fact, we made some really good plays. And perhaps more importantly, we had the same spirit that the team had last year — to play our best, and to have fun doing it.

 

by AspiDimitrov

FALCONS SWEEP IN SEASON OPENER

This article was first published on www.britishbaseball.org

by NBL Special Reporter Simon Fitzjohn

Blowout victories, last-inning fightbacks and the arrival of three new teams highlighted Opening Day of the BBF's National Baseball League on Sunday, April 18.

With Southampton, Mildenhall and Essex making their top-tier debuts, there was an extended schedule of eight matches, with plenty of surprises.

Bracknell @ London Mets

Defending champions Bracknell Blazers locked horns with fellow heavyweights London Mets in the pick of the day's action at Finsbury Park, with both sides forced to settle for a game apiece in a wildly contrasting doubleheader.

Game One saw the Mets sneak a 4-3 verdict, backed by a sterling pitching effort from Jason Roberts, with Henry Collins taking the loss.

But Bracknell bounced back in fine style in Game Two, scorching the Mets to the tune of 15-2.

Truth be told, this was far from a masterclass, with a catalogue of errors peppering both contests. Bracknell committed nine errors in Game One alone and Blazers coach Rob Rance admitted he was happy to take a share of the spoils.

He said: “I am sure the London Mets are going to provide our strongest competition this season, so I am pretty happy. We were missing six starters for a variety of reasons so I am very pleased with how we dug in. They were not great games in any way and we made far too many errors, but to bounce back like we did is very satisfying.”

Mets coach Alex Pike echoed those thoughts: “I think it was a case of ironing out the bugs. We made a lot of errors and we did not really hit well. We got the win in Game One but they were much better than us in Game Two. They were two very ugly games of baseball and we just had to get them out of our system.”

Richmond @ Croydon

There was a surprise in Croydon as the Croydon Pirates, who went the whole of last season without claiming a single win, split their doubleheader with the Richmond Flames.

Even more impressively, the Pirates bounced back from a 23-3 hammering in Game One to record a thrilling 6-5 win in Game Two.

Cody Cain claimed a comfortable win in Game One for the Flames, with Jose Sosa taking a pounding for Croydon.

But all that changed in Game Two as a Michael Azuya two-run home run set the Pirates on their way to a comeback victory, earning Tim Ssali the win with Mike Osborn taking the loss.

Understandably Croydon coach Dave Ward was delighted: “In one weekend we have beaten what we achieved in the whole of last year. I am absolutely over the moon. Everyone has worked so hard over the off-season and in training and this is a reward for that work. Last year was completely dismal but hopefully we can look forward with some confidence this year.”

Mildenhall @ Essex

New boys Mildenhall Bulldogs wasted little time signaling their intentions, brushing aside the Essex Arrows in both games of their opening set at Waltham Abbey.

The Bulldogs cruised to 16-5 and 11-1 wins, with Brandon Blide earning the win and impressing at the plate in Game One (Richard Chesterton taking the loss) and Jason Coffee hurling a gem in Game Two.

Mildenhall coach Gabriel Macias insisted his side were not simply joining the NBL to make up the numbers. He said: “We love competition and we will really be going for it this season. We are really excited to be playing at this level and we aim to make our mark.

“The key for us was hitting,” Macias continued. “We put together a few good innings and scored runs consistently throughout and defensively we were sound. We just had a good day all round and it was pretty rough on Essex.”

pictures by www.hp2photographic.com
Southampton @ Herts

Fellow debutants Southampton Mustangs did not enjoy their opening series quite as much, suffering 8-7 and 12-0 losses at Herts Falcons.

But the new boys will take heart from their Game One performance, where they scored three runs in the top of the seventh and had the bases loaded before a groundout ended their rally.

Chuck Truelson took the loss, with Herts' Dan Kerry claiming the win, while Oscar Sierra clubbed a three-run shot for the visitors.

Things went downhill for the Mustangs in Game Two, with Pete Kikel pitching an impressive complete game shutout for Herts as the Mustangs fell apart.

Despite that, Southampton's Ben Davis saw plenty to encourage him: “We fell short in Game One, which was pretty heartbreaking, but there are plenty of positives we can build on. We did not let ourselves down in any way at all.

“Game Two we will wipe out of the memory,” Davis continued, “and quickly. The key for us this season is to try and compete in every game. We want to prove the BBF were right to bring us into the league.

The Falcons' Jason Greenberg admitted it was a case of job done for his side.

He said: “We won both games and we are very happy with that. I thought Southampton had a good squad and I think it is great they are in the league. Obviously, we will get a better indication of where we are at when we play London next week but we cannot ask for more than two wins on opening day.”