Category: Headlines

THE GREEN GREEN GRASS OF HOME

For the first time in the club's 13 year history Herts Baseball Club members have been praying for rain. 

Since the start of September this part of the world had not seen any rain at all.  This was very good for the Club's events in September and October such as the Herts Futures Tournament and the Kyle Hunlock Series, but it was not helping the growth of the newly planted grass seeds on the second diamond which Herts is creating.

Thankfully, just 24 hours after the last Herts event of the year, the rain came.  Members of the club who have not visited Grovehill Ballpark in the last few weeks would be pleased to learn that the first blades of grass appeared last week. 

Click here for more images of the new grass taken this weekend.

The lack of rain may result in the unveiling of the brand new second diamond taking place two or three weeks after Opening Day of the 2010 British Baseball season, which was the original target date.

 

BLUE SOX LIFT UNIVERSITY FALL CUP

The University of East Anglia (UEA) lifted the 2009 University Fall Cup trophy after two gruelling days of baseball played at the home of Herts Baseball Club in Hemel Hempstead.

 

The British baseball season would usually shut down in early September and prepare to hibernate over the winter period, but since the establishment of the British University Baseball Association (BUBA) the baseball calendar in this country has changed and nowadays October-baseball is played in this country too. 

 

This was the second year of the University Fall Cup and the UEA Blue Sox was the team that set the pace from day one winning their first two group games.  First they came out on top in a close game against the Oxford Kings.  They followed this with an 8-4 win against the Nottingham Thieves.  This meant that, regardless of the outcome of their final group game against Southampton on Sunday, they had booked their place in Sunday’s Final.

 

In the final round of group games Nottingham came up against Oxford.  Both teams came into this game knowing that they needed to win to reach the Final against UEA.  This turned out to be an epic battle.  With time running out, Oxford went into the bottom of the fifth inning with what appeared to be a comfortable 5-3 lead with starter Paul Boland still on the mound for Oxford and keeping Nottingham’s offense quite.  Despite this the Thieves somehow managed to score two runs on 1 hit and 2 errors.  This took the game into extra innings with the scores tied 5-5.  Oxford again took the lead on a sacrifice fly by starting pitcher Boland to drive in Chris Hayes.  This did not discourage Nottingham.  They came back again in the bottom of the inning and Maurice Lessing was the man to deliver the final blow with a walk-off 2 RBI double. 

 

This nerve-wracking game must have taken its toll and the UEA Blue Sox took full advantage in the Final.  They pounced on the previously invincible Nottingham pitcher, George Lintern, with a phenomenal hitting display which produced 21 runs on 22 hits.  UEA starter, Gary Ward, picked up the win pitching a complete game allowing only 3 earned runs and 4 hits, striking out 6 Nottingham batters in the process.

 

More images from the 2009 University Fall Cup at Herts

View the 2009 University Fall Cup Leaders

 

GROUP GAMES

Southampton 5  Oxford 6

Nottingham 16  Southampton 3

Oxford 4  UEA 6

UEA 8  Nottingham 4

Oxforf 6  Nottingham 7

UEA 5  Southampton 12

 

STANDINGS

UEA (2-1)

Nottingham (2-1)

Southampton (1-2)

Oxford (1-2)

 

BRONZE MEDAL GAME

Oxford 7 Southampton 13

 

FINAL

UEA 21  Nottingham 4

 

 

 

 

 


 

BOX SCORES – FINAL, 2009 UNIVERSITY FALL CUP

 


UEA Blue Sox at Nottingham Thieves
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
UEA Blue Sox 4 1 0 1 15 21 22 3
Nottingham Thieves 0 0 0 2 2 4 4 9

UEA Blue Sox 21, Nottingham Thieves 4
UEA Blue Sox Nottingham Thieves
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Robbie Jones cf 5 4 3 2 Maurice Lessing 2b 3 1 0 1
Ed Waller lf 5 3 4 2 Luke Goddfrey cf 3 0 1 1
Shing Kwok ss 5 2 2 2 George Lintern p 2 1 1 0
Gary Ward p 4 3 2 2 Francisco Funes c 3 1 1 1
Mark Gould c 5 2 2 0 Dave Smith ss 2 0 0 0
Sam Rounce 3b 5 1 3 1 Zenhar Marolia 3b 2 0 0 1
Matt Goldspink rf 5 2 3 1 Shay Sharma 1b 2 0 0 0
Sam Southwood 2b 3 2 1 0 Rich Edwards lf 2 1 1 0
Sam McIver 1b 4 2 2 2 Simon Byrne rf 1 0 0 0
          (b5) Rori Burnard rf 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 41 21 22 12 TEAM TOTALS 20 4 4 4

E: Shing Kwok, Gary Ward, Sam McIver, Dave Smith(5), Luke Goddfrey, Maurice Lessing,
Zenhar Marolia, Rich Edwards. LOB: Nottingham Thieves 3, UEA Blue Sox 7. 2B: Sam
Rounce, Matt Goldspink, Francisco Funes. 3B: Ed Waller. SB: Shing Kwok, George
Lintern(2), Maurice Lessing.

UEA Blue Sox IP H R ER BB SO
Gary Ward W 5.00 4 4 2 2 6
Nottingham Thieves            
George Lintern L 5.00 22 21 10 1 3

HBP: by George Lintern (Gary Ward). WP: George Lintern. PB: Francisco Funes. T: 1:45.
A: 48.

 

HERTS TO HOST 2009 UNIVERSITY FALL CUP – 17-18 OCTOBER

Herts Baseball Club has been selected as the host of the 2009 University Fall Cup, which will take place over the weekend of 17-18 October 2009. 

 

This is a competition organised by the British University Baseball Association (BUBA).  BUBA is the governing and regulatory body responsible for all university and college baseball played throughout the United Kingdom. Founded in 2007 as a means of making university baseball more efficient and effective, BUBA has grown into a large organisation responsible for large numbers of players, and all official university competitions.

 

This is the second year of the University Fall Cup.  In order to cope with the expanded BUBA membership, the late October competition has had to be split into two separate events. Tier 1, also referred to as the Fall Cup, will feature the top university baseball teams in the country – Nottingham, Southampton, Oxford, UEA and rising stars Leeds and they will battle it out at the home of Herts Baseball Club in Hemel Hempstead.  The Tier 2 competition, named the Fall Shield, includes Brighton, Lincoln, Imperial University, Sheffield and Warwick and it will take place one week later at University of Nottingham’s Grove Farm Park.

 

Due to the odd number of teams competing, and the restricted time in which to compete, a novel system of competition has been developed.

 

Each team will be assigned a seeding based on their most recent performances in student competition and will play two games on the first day.  The standings after the first day will decide who plays who for what on day two.

 

The fourth (P4) and fifth (P5) placed teams on day one will face off in an elimination playoff with the winner going through to face first placed team (P1) in the first semi-final. The second semi will be contested between the third (P3) and fourth (P4) placed team from day one.  The two semi-final winners will go through to compete for the championship whilst the loser of semi-final 2 will go on to face the loser of the earlier elimination game.

 

Day 1 (Sat, 17 Oct)

Diamond 1

Diamond 2

1100 – 1245

S1

@

S3

S2

@

S4

1300 – 1445

S3

@

S4

S5

@

S1

1500 – 1645

S5

@

S2

Day 2 (Sun, 18 Oct)

Diamond 1

Diamond 2

1100 – 1245 – Elim

P5

@

P4

1300 – 1445

W Elim

@

P1

P3

@

P2

1500 – 1645

W SF 2

@

W SF 1

L Elim

@

L SF 2

 

The games will be played at Grovehill Ballpark, which is the home of Herts Baseball Club.  The second baseball diamond is currently being resurfaced in preparation for the 2010 season, but a temporary diamond will be created for this event.

 

There is no Herts team in this competition, but Herts Baseball Club would find it very difficult to remain a neutral host as Herts’ number 46, Yuchih Lin, will be representing Southampton University.  So far this one weekend, Herts fans will be supporting Southampton.  Lin was one of the most consistent performers for the Herts Falcons in the National Baseball League this year.  He ended the year with a very impressive batting average of .342 (2nd among Herts Falcons), joint Herts Falcons RBI leader (15).   He was also the NBL leader in plate appearances (88).

 

All fans are welcome at Grovehill Ballpark for two days of exciting baseball.  Hot and cold beverages and snacks will be available for fans to enjoy.  For more details contact Herts Baseball Club

ROOSTERS RULE THE COOP, RETAIN HUNLOCK TITLE

The Red Roosters emerged victorious on Sunday after two gruelling nine-inning ballgames against their fellow, rival Herts teammates.

By finishing in second place heading into Sunday's final matches, the Roosters were forced to play a morning semi final against the Blue Dogs before they could advance to the championship game against the Black Widows.

The Widows watched with glee as the Red and Blue teams faced off in the morning set.  The game stayed close through three innings, with the Roosters leading 2-1.  Roosters pitcher Mike Vasquez shut down the Blue Dogs offence through four innings of work, allowing 1 unearned run on just 1 hit and striking out 6.  But in the fourth and fifth innings the crooked numbers started appearing on the scoreboard.  Vasquez was also a force at the plate going 3-for-4 with 4 RBI.  Jason Greenberg was 2-for-5 with a double and a triple and 2 RBI, and Dan Kerry was 3-for-4 with a pair of RBIs.  All of Kerry's hits in the games were doubles.

The Blue Dogs had more success against Pete Kikel later in the game, scoring 6 runs on 4 hits in the eight-inning.  Dogs' manager Andy Cornish was 3-for-5 with 2 RBI, Jon Lewys was 2-for-3 with 3 stolen bases, and Riley Fisher knocked a 2-RBI triple.

But the Blue squad couldn't hold the lead, and the Roosters came right back with 5 runs in the bottom of the inning.  Dan Kerry earned the save for the Roosters with 2 strikeouts in the top-of-the-ninth.

The Widows-Roosters game was less about offence than poor defence.  Sixteen errors were committed in the game, and it wasn't until the middle innings that the Roosters opened the floodgates, going up by a score of 16-7 after seven innings of play.  An additional 7 runs in the eighth gave them a mercy-rule victory to take home the proverbial trophy from the 2009 Kyle Hunlock Series Championship.

Pitcher Aspi Dimitrov was 3-for-5 with 2 RBI and 4 runs scored in the final.  Vasquez added to his RBI total by knocking in 4 more runs, and John Oliver was 3-for-6 with 2 RBI.

For the Blue Dogs, only Carlos Casal and Lin Yuchih had multiple hits.  Casal was 2-5 with 4 RBI, and made several great tags at third base, including a terrific relay from centre fielder Marc Martinez to Luis Goncalves to Casal, gunning out greedy baserunner Greenberg attempting to stretch a double into a triple.

The 2009 Series was a very successful event for Herts Baseball Club.  Like the regular season before it, all the games were played in unexpectedly glorious English sunshine.  The turnout was impressive, with 55 players taking part in the games and many more fans at Grovehill to support their friends and family.  Rumours have it the Club is planning some special enhancements to the tournament format for the 2010 series, when the Hunlock Series celebrates its 5th anniversary.

SEMI FINAL : BLUE DOGS vs. RED ROOSTERS


Blue Dogs at Red Roosters
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Blue Dogs 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 6 2 10 7 0
Red Roosters 1 0 1 2 3 0 1 5 0 13 14 4

Red Roosters 13, Blue Dogs 10
Red Roosters Blue Dogs
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Aspi Dimitrov 3b-p-ss 3 1 1 0 Iwan Evans lf 3 1 0 0
Hunter Devine lf 4 3 1 0 (t5) Paul Auchterlounie lf 3 1 1 1
Mike Vasquez p-cf 4 3 3 4 Nick Russell cf 4 0 0 0
Jason Greenberg c-3b 5 1 2 2 Riley Fisher p-ss 3 0 1 2
David Baird ss-rf 5 0 1 1 Andy Cornish 1b 5 0 3 2
Dan Kerry cf-ss-p 4 2 3 2 Nick Goetz ss-p-3b 4 1 0 0
John Oliver 1b 4 1 1 1 Kal Dimitrov c 3 2 0 0
Paul Curtis 2b 4 0 1 1 Jonathon Lewys 3b-p 3 2 2 0
Ilya Dimitrov rf 1 1 0 0 Phil Crooks 2b 0 0 0 0
(t5) Peter Kikel 3b-c-p 2 1 1 0 (t5) Perrie Sherman 2b 1 2 0 1
Ken Pike rf 1 0 0 0
(t5) Jake Aman Shah rf-2b 2 1 0 1
TEAM TOTALS 36 13 14 11 TEAM TOTALS 32 10 7 7

E: Aspi Dimitrov, John Oliver. LOB: Red Roosters 5, Blue Dogs 9.
2B: Dan Kerry(3), Mike Vasquez(2), John Oliver, Aspi Dimitrov, Jason Greenberg, Paul
Curtis. 3B: Jason Greenberg, David Baird, Riley Fisher. SB: Dan Kerry(2), Mike
Vasquez(2), Hunter Devine(2), Aspi Dimitrov, Ilya Dimitrov, Jonathon Lewys(3), Iwan
Evans, Kal Dimitrov. CS: Aspi Dimitrov, Nick Russell.

Red Roosters IP H R ER BB SO
Mike Vasquez 4.00 1 1 0 5 6
Aspi Dimitrov 3.00 2 1 1 2 3
Peter Kikel W 1.00 4 6 3 2 1
Dan Kerry 1.00 0 2 0 2 2
Blue Dogs            
Riley Fisher 5.00 8 7 3 4 3
Nick Goetz 2.00 4 3 2 1 0
Jonathon Lewys L 1.00 2 3 3 1 0

HBP: by Mike Vasquez (Ken Pike). . . . , by Peter Kikel (Kal Dimitrov), by Peter
Kikel (Jake Aman Shah). . WP: Peter Kikel. PB: Jason Greenberg, Kal Dimitrov(6). T:
3:00. A: 56.

FINAL : RED ROOSTERS vs. BLACK WIDOWS


Red Roosters at Black Widows
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 R H E
Red Roosters 1 0 1 5 5 3 1 7 23 19 9
Black Widows 2 0 1 0 3 1 0 2 9 8 7

Red Roosters 23, Black Widows 9
Red Roosters Black Widows
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Aspi Dimitrov cf-p-3b 5 4 3 2 Atsuhiko Ariga lf 1 1 0 0
Hunter Devine lf-cf 5 3 1 1 (t5) Amit Odedra ss-lf 2 1 0 0
Mike Vasquez p-cf-rf 6 2 2 4 Luis Goncalves ss 4 2 1 1
Jason Greenberg c 5 1 2 1 Marc Martinez cf 2 1 1 0
David Baird 2b 6 1 2 1 (t6) Greg Bochan 2b-cf-p 2 1 1 0
Peter Kikel 3b-p 3 3 1 0 Marty Cullen p-1b 5 0 1 0
Dan Kerry ss 5 4 4 4 Chris Barnes c 5 2 0 1
John Oliver 1b 6 2 3 2 Carlos Casal 3b 5 1 2 4
Paul Curtis rf 3 2 1 2 Humberto Goncalves 1b 2 0 0 0
(b6) Ilya Dimitrov lf 0 1 0 1 (t7) Steve Nippress rf 1 0 0 0
Lin Yuchih 2b-p 4 0 2 0
Marcus Capper rf 2 0 0 0
(t5) Andrew Slater 3b-rf-cf 2 0 0 0
Mark Hoffman p 0 0 0 0
Tom Green 3b 0 0 0 0
Matt Johnston cf 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 44 23 19 18 TEAM TOTALS 37 9 8 6

E: Peter Kikel, Dan Kerry, Jason Greenberg, Hunter Devine, Atsuhiko Ariga, Luis
Goncalves, Marty Cullen, Chris Barnes, Carlos Casal, Humberto Goncalves, Amit Odedra.
LOB: Black Widows 8, Red Roosters 10. 2B: Dan Kerry(2), Jason Greenberg, Mike
Vasquez, Lin Yuchih. HR: Dan Kerry, Mike Vasquez, Luis Goncalves, Carlos Casal. SB:
Dan Kerry, Peter Kikel, David Baird, Ilya Dimitrov, Marcus Capper.

Red Roosters IP H R ER BB SO
Mike Vasquez W 4.00 2 3 0 2 4
Aspi Dimitrov 3.00 3 4 1 1 2
Peter Kikel 1.00 3 2 2 0 1
Black Widows            
Marty Cullen L 8.00 18 23 15 9 3
Mark Hoffman 0.00 0 0 0 0 0
Lin Yuchih 0.00 1 0 0 0 0
Greg Bochan 0.00 0 0 0 0 0

HBP: by Marty Cullen (Peter Kikel), by Marty Cullen (Mike Vasquez). . . , by Marty
Cullen (Dan Kerry). WP: Marty Cullen. PB: Chris Barnes. T: 3:00. A: 61.

THE JOY OF THE ENCORE

I went 0-4 at the plate, with two strikeouts. In the field, I muffed one of only two chances which came my way. And yet I enjoyed the whole thing immensely.

This was the Kyle Hunlock series, the tournament which pits all the members of the Herts Baseball Club against one another in a post-season celebration of the game we all love. It has gone from strength to strength since it was conceived as a tribute for our former team-mate, and thanks must go to the Commissioner, the managers and everyone else who made this year's event such fun. Crowds of players thronged the sidelines, many with families in tow, and the sun once again shone brightly.

My own performance on the field was pretty limp – neatly picking up a grounder then ballooning the throw over the first baseman's head; and being struck out twice (yes, twice!) by Marty's high heat. But this was a time when I simply didn't mind. The spirit of the event was greater than any individual failing. From my vantage point on the bench, I got some nice photos (which I recommend you check out on Flickr), topped up my suntan, and gently mocked my Raptors team-mates. Perhaps this was the perfect combination of being a player and a fan.

View images of Day 2 of the 2009 Kyle Hunlock Series

View images of Day 3 of the 2009 Kyle Hunlock Series

HERTS LITTLE LEAGUE SEASON COMES TO A CLOSE. 2009 HONOURS ANNOUNCED

Saturday’s Herts Futures Tournament drew the second season of the Herts Baseball Little League to a close. 

 

It seems only a few weeks ago that the young Herts players reported for Spring Training at Northwick Park’s baseball batting tunnels.  Many new families joined the Herts Baseball family and the League grew from 4 teams last year to 6 teams this time around.  The standard of baseball being played increased tremendously.  The fans had the opportunity to see many home runs, terrific pitching, amazing plays, including a triple play, and much much more.  This was the year when a Herts Little Leaguer made his debut with the Herts adult teams.  Many more will be doing the same in 2010.  The Herts Little League started to officially score its league games just like they do in MLB.  Grovehill Ballpark hosted its first ever international baseball game when the Herts Little Leaguers came up against the Irish Wolfhounds.  We all remember the nail-biting final day of the season when the Herts Yankees came back from 4-0 down to win the title with 6 runs in the final inning.  Thousands of hot dogs and doughnuts were sold as the Little League set a new fund-raising record.  All profits will be going into developing baseball facilities at Grovehill Ballpark to make future Little League seasons even better.

 

Herts made its first appearance in the British National Youth Championships.  Written off by every opponent and placed as the outsiders, the Herts All Stars had to play 6 must-win games to be confirmed as the best team in British baseball.  One wrong step and the team would have been eliminated.  They kept going, knocking 5 teams out on the way to the final.  And what an epic final it proved to be. 

 

What will 2010 bring?  Be a part of it and join the Herts Baseball Family.

 


2009 HERTS BASEBALL LITTLE LEAGUE AWARDS


 

OUTFIELD GOLD GLOVE

Storm Frisby, Outfield Gold Glove, Herts Blue Jays

Lewis Green, Outfield Gold Glove, Herts Yankees

Charlie Owens, Outfield Gold Glove, Herts Red Sox

James Wells, Outfield Gold Glove, Herts Cubs

 

INFIELD GOLD GLOVE

Zachary Longboy,  Infield Gold Glove, Herts Blue Jays

Charlie Mayhew,  Infield Gold Glove, Herts Yankees

Adam White,  Infield Gold Glove, Herts Red Sox

Michelle Johnson,  Infield Gold Glove, Herts Cubs

Alistair Baird,  Infield Gold Glove, Herts Cardinals

Tyler Sorters,  Infield Gold Glove, Herts Giants

 

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Aaron Witter,  Rookie of the Year, Herts Blue Jays

Jose Morillo,  Rookie of the Year, Herts Yankees

Brett Sorters,  Rookie of the Year, Herts Red Sox

Mitchell Procter,  Rookie of the Year, Herts Cubs

Lewis Auchterlounie,  Rookie of the Year, Herts Cardinals

Gage Petar,  Rookie of the Year, Herts Giants

 

BATTING CHAMPION

Lewis Paterson, Batting Champion, Herts Blue Jays

Marty Cullen Jr, Batting Champion, Herts Yankees

Liam Green, Batting Champion, Herts Red Sox

Adam Smith, Batting Champion, Herts Cubs

George Owens, Batting Champion, Herts Cardinals

Alexander Deacon, Batting Champion, Herts Giants

 

CY YOUNG

Nickolas Martinez, Cy Young Award, Herts Blue Jays

Marty Cullen Jr, Cy Young Award, Herts Yankees

Liam Green, Cy Young Award, Herts Red Sox

Mikito Ariga, Cy Young Award, Herts Cubs

 

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER (MVP)

Kieran Manning, MVP, Herts Blue Jays

Marty Cullen Jr, MVP, Herts Yankees

Michael Davis, MVP, Herts Red Sox

Mikito Ariga, MVP, Herts Cubs

Jamie Brener, MVP, Herts Cardinals

Theo Longboy, MVP, Herts Giants

BLACK WIDOWS IN LEAD; ROOSTERS, DOGS IN SEMI-FINAL

The Black Widows have emerged top-of-the-heap after week two of the 2009 Kyle Hunlock Series.  After crushing the Blue Dogs 12-3 in the morning opener, they went on to hand the Red Roosters their first loss of the Series by a score of 12-7.  While this left the Roosters and the Widows each with a 3-1 record, the Widows mountainous run differential was just too steep for the Roosters to climb; although they beat the Blue Dogs 15-2 in the final match of the day, they would have needed another 16 runs scored to surpass the Widows and take first place.

BLUE DOGS 3 @ BLACK WIDOWS 12

In the morning matchup the Blue Dogs got off to an early lead off Widow hurler Mark Hoffman.  Although “the Hoff” quickly tallied a pair of strikeouts, a Widows error followed by a walk and a clutch single from Blue Dogs manager Andy Cornish brought the first run across the plate.

But that was all the offence the Dogs would see until the fifth inning.  Hoffman settled down and pitched three scoreless innings, followed by two solid innings from Marty Cullen.  Altogether, Hoffman and Cullen wracked up 7 strikeouts with only 3 walks and 3 runs allowed on 6 hits.

The Widows offence was timely.  Marty Cullen went 4-for-4 with 4 RBI, and fellow-American Greg Bochan was 2-for-4 with an RBI.  Luis Goncalves and Arnie Longboy had a hit each, and both crossed the plate multiple times.  Newcomer Marcus Capper – while hitless – still scored two runs for the Widows.

BLACK WIDOWS 12 @ RED ROOSTERS 7

The Roosters had high expectations after hitting the field fresh at midday to face a (hopefully) game-weary Widows lineup.  Newcomer Mike Vasquez took the mound for the Red squad, but he surrendered 4 walks and 2 hits in the first inning, and his team committed 3 errors behind him.  Altogether that amounted to 7 Widows runs, which proved the difference in the game.

The Roosters fought hard to battle back, putting up crooked numbers in the second, third and fifth innings.  They were aided by a 2-for-3 performance from first baseman Dave Baird, but it was too little too late.  The Widows had the momentum.  Luis Goncalves went 2-for-3, Chris Barnes 2-for-2 with 2 RBI, and Amit Odedra came into the game in the bottom of the fourth inning and had a clutch 2-run single with a stolen base.

RED ROOSTERS 15 @ BLUE DOGS 2

The Blue Dogs failed to score a run until the final inning of this third game.  The Roosters were out of the gates early with a 2 RBI double from Jason Greenberg, who finished the day with a second 2 RBI double.  Young Liam Green was 1-for-1 with an RBI, and the mighty Edwin Alcantara went 3-for-3 with 2 RBI.

The only Blue Dog RBIs came from Jonathon Lewys, who also delivered an inning of work from the hill allowing 2 runs on 2 hits.

The pitcher of the game was most certainly Pete Kikel, who upped the speed on his fastball by 5-10mph over game one, and walked away with 4 strikeouts in 3-innings of scoreless baseball.

WIDOWS AWAITING THEIR PREY IN WEEK THREE

After two weeks of Hunlock action, the Black Widows are sitting pretty.  They can rest up and watch the 2nd/3rd place action on Sunday morning to see which squad they’ll face in the ’09 Series Final.

The Blue Dogs have an uphill battle in store.  They’ve now lost to the Red Roosters by scores of 8-7 and 15-2.  If they hope to find their stride and coast into the championship game they’ll have to get by a resurgent pitching rotation of Pete Kikel, Dan Kerry and Mike Vasquez, who in particular will be looking for a solid rebound on the mound.  The Dogs will be aided by the emergence of late-coming teammates Nic Goetz and Jamie Munn, and returning sluggers Louis Hare and Riley Fisher, all of whom were missing from the week two action.

Which squad will emerge victorious?  It all comes down to 18 innings of riveting Herts Baseball.

GAME ONE


Blue Dogs at Black Widows
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Blue Dogs 1 0 0 0 2 3 6 6
Black Widows 3 4 3 2 0 12 9 5

 

Black Widows 12, Blue Dogs 3
Black Widows Blue Dogs
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Luis Goncalves ss 3 2 1 0 Ken Pike ss 3 0 0 0
Arnold Longboy lf 3 1 1 0 Iwan Evans cf 3 1 1 0
Greg Bochan 3b 4 3 2 1 Jeff Witter p 1 1 0 0
Marty Cullen 1b 4 3 4 4 (t3) Reagan Wood 3b 2 0 1 0
Chris Barnes c 4 0 1 1 Kal Dimitrov c 2 1 1 1
Jose Morillo cf 2 0 0 1 Andy Cornish 1b 3 0 2 2
Mark Hoffman p 1 0 0 0 Jonathon Lewys 3b-p 1 0 1 0
Andrew Slater 2b 2 0 0 0 (b4) Nick Russell pr-p 1 0 0 0
Marcus Capper rf 2 2 0 0 Phil Crooks 2b 3 0 0 0
(b4) Tom Green rf 0 1 0 0 Perrie Sherman rf 1 0 0 0
(t4) Lin Yuchih rf 1 0 0 0
Nick Read lf 0 0 0 0
(t4) Paul Auchterlounie lf 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 25 12 9 7 TEAM TOTALS 21 3 6 3

 

E: Chris Barnes, Marty Cullen, Mark Hoffman, Marcus Capper, Ken Pike, Jonathon
Lewys, Phil Crooks. LOB: Blue Dogs 7, Black Widows 8. 2B: Marty Cullen, Luis
Goncalves, Kal Dimitrov, Andy Cornish. 3B: Greg Bochan. SB: Mark Hoffman, Marcus
Capper, Chris Barnes, Marty Cullen, Nick Russell(2), Andy Cornish, Iwan Evans, Paul
Auchterlounie. CS: Mark Hoffman, Andy Cornish.

 

Black Widows IP H R ER BB SO
Mark Hoffman 5.00 6 3 1 3 7
Blue Dogs            
Jeff Witter 2.00 4 7 2 4 0
Jonathon Lewys 1.67 3 4 2 2 2
Nick Russell 0.33 2 1 0 1 0

WP: Mark Hoffman. PB: Kal Dimitrov. T: 2:00. A: 69.


GAME TWO


Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Black Widows 7 0 0 2 3 12 10 4
Red Roosters 0 2 2 0 3 7 7 6

 

Black Widows 12, Red Roosters 7
Black Widows Red Roosters
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Luis Goncalves ss 3 3 2 0 Aspi Dimitrov 3b-lf-2b 1 2 0 0
Arnold Longboy lf 2 2 1 1 Peter Kikel ss-p 2 1 1 1
(b4) Amit Odedra lf 1 1 1 2 Edwin Alcantara dh-3b 3 0 0 0
Carlos Casal 3b 2 1 0 0 Jason Greenberg c 3 0 0 0
Marty Cullen p-1b 3 1 0 0 David Baird 1b 3 2 2 1
Chris Barnes c 2 1 2 2 Dan Kerry cf 3 1 1 0
Bart Schouwenaars cf 4 1 1 0 Rob Jones lf 1 0 0 0
Mark Hoffman 1b-p 2 0 0 0 Hunter Devine 2b 2 0 1 0
Andrew Slater 2b 2 1 1 1 (t5) Ilya Dimitrov rf 0 0 0 0
(t4) Greg Bochan 2b 1 0 0 0 Ben Alway rf-lf 2 1 1 0
Tom Green rf 2 0 1 1 Mike Vasquez p-ss 2 0 1 0
(t4) Stuart Boast rf 1 1 1 0
TEAM TOTALS 25 12 10 7 TEAM TOTALS 22 7 7 2

 

E: Luis Goncalves, Carlos Casal, Bart Schouwenaars, Mark Hoffman, Peter Kikel,
Hunter Devine, David Baird, Jason Greenberg. DP: Black Widows 1. LOB: Red Roosters
3, Black Widows 6. 2B: Luis Goncalves, Arnold Longboy, Dan Kerry. SB: Chris
Barnes(2), Carlos Casal(2), Marty Cullen(2), Luis Goncalves, Arnold Longboy, Amit
Odedra, Aspi Dimitrov(3), David Baird(2), Mike Vasquez(2), Dan Kerry(2), Hunter
Devine, Ben Alway. CS: Chris Barnes.

 

Black Widows IP H R ER BB SO
Marty Cullen W 3.00 4 4 1 1 2
Mark Hoffman 2.00 3 3 3 2 1
Red Roosters            
Mike Vasquez L 3.00 4 7 0 4 3
Peter Kikel 2.00 6 5 3 4 3

WP: Mark Hoffman. T: 2:00. A: 69.


GAME THREE


Red Roosters at Blue Dogs
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Red Roosters 2 0 3 8 2 15 12 3
Blue Dogs 0 0 0 0 2 2 7 1

 

Red Roosters 15, Blue Dogs 2
Red Roosters Blue Dogs
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Aspi Dimitrov 1b 4 1 1 0 Nick Russell ss-p-2b 3 1 1 0
(b4) Ben Alway lf 0 0 0 0 Paul Auchterlounie c 2 1 1 0
Liam Green 3b 1 4 1 1 Tim Elkins 2b 2 0 0 0
Mike Vasquez ss-cf 3 2 1 2 (t4) Ken Pike ss 1 0 0 0
Edwin Alcantara cf-p 3 3 3 2 Jonathon Lewys p-ss-3b 3 0 1 2
Jason Greenberg c 3 2 2 4 Iwan Evans cf 1 0 1 0
Dan Kerry 2b-1b 3 1 2 2 (t4) Perrie Sherman cf 2 0 0 0
Peter Kikel p 3 0 1 2 Kal Dimitrov 3b 1 0 1 0
(b4) Rob Jones ss 0 0 0 0 (t4) Andy Cornish lf-1b 1 0 1 0
Ilya Dimitrov lf-2b 3 0 0 0 Jeff Witter 1b-p 1 0 0 0
Chris Martin rf 2 2 1 0 Phil Crooks rf 1 0 0 0
(t4) Nick Read rf 1 0 0 0
Reagan Wood lf-p 2 0 1 0
TEAM TOTALS 25 15 12 13 TEAM TOTALS 21 2 7 2

 

E: Aspi Dimitrov, Ilya Dimitrov, Paul Auchterlounie. LOB: Red Roosters 4, Blue
Dogs 6. 2B: Jason Greenberg(2), Mike Vasquez, Edwin Alcantara, Aspi Dimitrov, Andy
Cornish. SB: Edwin Alcantara(2), Jason Greenberg, Aspi Dimitrov, Dan Kerry, Peter
Kikel, Chris Martin, Liam Green. CS: Peter Kikel.

 

Red Roosters IP H R ER BB SO
Peter Kikel W 3.00 3 0 0 2 4
Edwin Alcantara 2.00 4 2 2 0 3
Blue Dogs            
Nick Russell 2.00 2 3 3 0 3
Reagan Wood 1.67 5 6 5 3 1
Jonathon Lewys 1.00 2 2 2 0 0
Jeff Witter L 0.00 3 4 2 0 0

HBP: by Jonathon Lewys (Liam Green), by Jonathon Lewys (Dan Kerry). . , by Nick
Russell (Liam Green), by Nick Russell (Edwin Alcantara). , by Reagan Wood (Chris
Martin). . WP: Jonathon Lewys, Nick Russell. T: 2:00. A: 69.

LONDON DO THE DOUBLE AT HERTS FUTURES TOURNAMENT


 


London’s two teams won the Bronco (U13) and Rookie (U10) Divisions at the 2009 Herts Futures Tournament sparking wild champagne celebrations.


 


This was the second year of the Herts Futures Tournament which organised by Herts Baseball Club, based in Hemel Hempstead.  The number of teams entering the event increased from 8 in 2008 to 10 teams this year and it brought record number of fans to Grovehill Ballpark.


 


MINORS DIVISION


The Minors Division (Under-10s) proved to be just as exciting.  In an effort to give sufficient playing time to the large number of Rookie players, the double-elimination tournament format, similar to that used at the World Baseball Classic earlier this year) was adopted.  The two Herts teams in this section battled hard but came just short against the well prepared teams from Horsham and London.


 


Arguably the best two games of the whole tournament were produced by the Horsham and London Rookie teams.  The first was won by Horsham 1-0, but in the all important Final it was London who managed to deliver the clutch hits to win the Trophy.


 


MINORS DIVISION















































DIVISION


VISITING TEAM


 


HOME TEAM


 


Minors (G1)


Herts Jr Raptors


3


London Rookies


10


Minors (G2)


Horsham Rookies


10


Herts Jr Hawks


3


Minors (G3)


(Winner G2) Horsham


1


(Winner G1) London


0


Minors (G4)


(Loser G1) Herts Raptors


13


(Loser G2) Herts Hawks


7


Minors (G5)


(Winner G4) Herts Raptors


2


(Loser G3) London


9


Minors (Final)


(Winner G5) London


1


(Winner G3) Horsham


0


  


 


 


MAJORS DIVISION


In Group 1 of the Majors Division (Under-13) all three teams found themselves with identical win-loss records, with each team having one loss and one win in the group games.  This meant that the Tournament’s tie-break rule had to be applied and the team with the lowest number of runs conceded was declared the winner.  This was Bracknell with only 9 runs conceded while Brentwood and Herts finished second and third with 12 and 15 runs conceded respectfully.  This may have been really harsh on both Brentwood and Herts but this is the reality of Tournament baseball.  Every run counts and on this occasion Bracknell’s team came out on top.


 


 


 


 


 


MAJORS (GROUP 1) RESULTS

























VISITING TEAM


 


HOME TEAM


 


Herts All Stars


4


Bracknell Blazers


9


Bracknell Blazers


4


Brentwood Bucks


5


Brentwood Bucks


6


Herts All Stars


8


 







































MAJORS DIVISION (GROUP 1) STANDINGS


TEAM


W


L


%


F


A


RunDiff


Bracknell Blazers


1


1


0.500


13


9


4


Brentwood Stags


1


1


0.500


11


12


-1


Herts All Stars


1


1


0.500


12


15


-3


 


In Group 2 it all came down to the final game where Horsham and London met.  Having won their previous games against the Tonbridge Bobcats, they both knew that only a win can take them to the Final.  In dramatic fashion London came out on top 3-2.


 


MAJORS (GROUP 2) RESULTS

























VISITING TEAM


 


HOME TEAM


 


London Mets


11


Tonbridge Bobcats


7


Tonbridge Bobcats


1


Horsham All Stars


7


Horsham All Stars


2


London Mets


3


 







































MAJORS DIVISION (GROUP 2) STANDINGS


TEAM


W


L


%


F


A


RunDiff.


London Mets


2


0


1.000


14


9


5


Horsham All Stars


1


1


0.500


9


4


5


Tonbridge Bobcats


0


2


0.000


8


18


-10


 


The tense battle in Group 1 seemed to have taken its toll on Bracknell and they found it difficult to compete against a hard hitting London team which kept putting runs on the board and won the Final convincingly.  Horsham won the Bronze Medal game against Brentwood, and Herts overcame Tonbridge to finish sixth overall, which seemed very harsh on them given the fact that they won two out of three games over the course of the day.


 


MAJORS (FINALS)





























DIVISION


VISITING TEAM


 


HOME TEAM


 


Majors (5th/6th)


(G2-3rd Place) Tonbridge


7


(G1-3rd Place) Herts


10


Majors (3rd/4th)


(G1-2nd Place) Brentwood


4


(G2-2nd Place) Horsham


10


Majors (Final)


(G2-Winner) London


18


(G1-Winner) Bracknell


0


 


The event was part of Herts Baseball Club’s fundraising effort for the development of the best baseball facilities in the country at its ballpark in Hertfordshire.  It was supported by Herts Baseball Club’s fantastic partners Dacorum Borough Council, BSUK and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts.


 


           


 


More images from the 2009 Herts Futures Tournament


(Opening – Presenting the teams)


(Minors Games)


(Majors 1st Games)


(Majors 3rd Games)


(Majors Finals)

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME! 2009 HERTS FUTURES TOURNAMENT THIS SATURDAY


On Saturday, 26 September 2009, Herts Baseball Club will stage the second annual Herts Futures Tournament.  The event will be held at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire and will once again include the best youth baseball teams in Southern England.


 


This year the Tournament will be split into two divisions.  The Majors Division will include Bronco teams (10 to 13 years of age) and the Minors Division for Rookie teams (7-10 year olds). 


 


In the Majors, 6 teams will be placed in two Groups of 3 teams.  They will play against each of the other two teams in their Group.  The two group winners will play against each other to determine the overall tournament winner.   The group runners-up will play for 3rdand 4th place, while the teams finishing third in the groups will play against each other to determine who will finish in 5th and 6th place overall.  In the Minors Division, four teams will play in a double-elimination format used at the 2009 World Baseball Classic and at the British National Baseball Championships (NBL and AAA).

 

Group 1 of the Majors Division includes the hosts Herts along with Brentwood and Bracknell, while in Group 2, the 2008 Tournament winners, Horsham, will look to overcome Tonbridge and the London Mets who enter as Tournament favourites after winning the Bronco National Baseball Championship just two weeks ago. 


 


The Minors Division will see the youngest talents of Herts, Horsham and London slug it out to determine the best team in the Rookie age bracket.


 


Herts Baseball Club Secretary, Aspi Dimitrov, had a message for baseball enthusiasts and those who may be curious to find out more about the game: “Last year’s event was a big success and we hope that this event will get bigger and better every year.  It is a fantastic opportunity for the whole family to get down to the ballpark and get a taste of baseball .  Apart from top youth baseball action, fans will be able to enjoy traditional American snacks, from hot dogs to fresh Krispy Kreme doughnuts”.


 


Directions to Grovehill Ballpark


For more information about playing baseball with the Herts youth and adult teams go to www.hertsbaseball.com and contact Herts Baseball Club.


 


MINORS




































































TIME


VENUE


DIVISION


VISITING TEAM


 


HOME TEAM


 


FORMAT


11:00


Field3


Minors(Game1)


Herts Jr Raptors


 


London Rookies


 


1hr timed


11:00


Field4


Minors(Game2)


Horsham Rookies


 


Herts Jr Hawks


 


1hr timed


12:15


Field3


Minors(Game3)


Winner (Game 2)


 


Winner (Game 1)


 


1hr timed


12:15


Field4


Minors(Game4)


Loser (Game 1)


 


Loser (Game 2)


 


1hr timed


13:30


Field3


Minors(Game5)


Winner (Game 4)


 


Loser (Game 3)


 


1hr timed


15:00


Field3


Minors(Final)


Winner (Game 5)


 


Winner (Game 3)


 


1hr timed


 


MAJORS (GROUP 1)









































TIME


VENUE


DIVISION


VISITING TEAM


 


HOME TEAM


 


FORMAT


11:00


Field1


Majors (G1)


Herts All Stars


 


Bracknell Blazers


 


1hr timed


12:15


Field1


Majors (G1)


Bracknell Blazers


 


Brentwood Bucks


 


1hr timed


13:30


Field1


Majors (G1)


Brentwood Bucks


 


Herts All Stars


 


1hr timed


MAJORS (GROUP 2)









































TIME


VENUE


DIVISION


VISITING TEAM


 


HOME TEAM


 


FORMAT


11:00


Field2


Majors (G2)


London Mets


 


Tonbridge Bobcats


 


1hr timed


12:15


Field2


Majors (G2)


Tonbridge Bobcats


 


Horsham All Stars


 


1hr timed


13:30


Field2


Majors (G2)


Horsham All Stars


 


London Mets


 


1hr timed


MAJORS – FINALS









































TIME


VENUE


DIVISION


VISITING TEAM


 


HOME TEAM


 


FORMAT


15:00


Field4


Majors-5th/6th


Group2 (3rd Place)


 


Group1 (3rd Place)


 


1hr timed


15:00


Field2


Majors-3rd/4th


Group1 (2ndPlace)


 


Group2 (2nd Place)


 


1hr timed


15:00


Field1


Majors-Final


Group2 (Winner)


 


Group1 (Winner)


 


1hr30min

HUNLOCK SERIES FINAL REVAMPED, 9-INNING CHAMP SHOWDOWN

(Monday 21 September, Grovehill, Hemel Hempstead)

The Hunlock Series Commissioner made a surprise announcement today, completely revamping the format of the third week series finale.

The H-Series has seen dramatic revisions since its inception in 2006.  Originally, this was as best-of-three series between the Falcons and Falcons 2 (or Hawks as they were later rechristened).  In 2008 the Hunlock Commission introduced the Live Draft and the Series became a much more evenly-matched affair.

Now, in 2009, the third week will see two back-to-back nine-inning championship games.  The first will determine which squad – the second- or third-placed – will earn a trip to the title match that afternoon.  Meanwhile, the first-place finalists have earned the right to rest on their laurels and spare their pitchers' arms.  Whichever squad wins the morning semi final will have to play two full baseball games in a row, giving a distinct advantage to whichever squad emerges from weeks one and two in first place.

The full Hunlock standings, results and rosters can be found at:
http://www.hertsbaseball.com/hunlock/