Category: Headlines

by AspiDimitrov

FALCONS PUNISH FLAMES FOR ERROR-STREWN FIELDING

This article and images were provided by Joe Gray and were first published on Mister Baseball

 

The only National Baseball League (NBL) action last Sunday was a double-header between the Herts Falcons and Richmond Flames at Grovehill Ballpark.  Richmond were missing  several players, including the multi-talented Ryan Bird (suspended) and the dangerous Cody Cain, but their line-up still contained enough talent for the spectators at Grovehill Ballpark to be expecting two victories for the visitors.

Those spectators were to be treated to two gripping contests, with the HERTS FALCONS coming from behind to edge both games by 1 run. While the FALCONS’ sweep came as a surprise, the same cannot be said for the ingredients of the victories: HERTS combined well-drilled fielding, intelligent pitching, and opportunistic base-running, as they have done all season.

Their off-field programme is widely acknowledged as being a beacon for baseball development in Britain, and now they have proven that their club also deserves recognition on the field at the highest level of the game. This last statement would apply even if the FALCONS had lost all four of their 1-run contests, because the fact that they have just been keeping scorelines respectable against established NBL sides is some achievement for a team making a jump from playing in the second tier of baseball in 2008

 

Richmond Flames 6

Herts Falcons 7

 

After Yoshi Saito led off with a single for the FLAMES and the home team then failed to convert the second half of a makeable double-play opportunity, it looked like RICHMOND might get on the board in the first inning. However, the FALCONS’ starter Nick Goetz served up a second ground ball, and this time the HERTS infield did turn the double-play, suggesting that the failed effort one batter earlier was merely indicative of early-game nerves.

Goetz’s mound rival was the experienced hurler Michael Osborn (pictured to the left), who had overpowered the FALCONS just 3 weeks earlier, striking out 11 in a 10-3 victory. Osborn looked strong once more, but he had lost the advantage of novelty and, more significantly, his pitching was not backed up by his infield in the way it deserved to be. By the time Osborn got out of the first inning, the FLAMES defence had already gifted the FALCONS 4 runs.

RICHMOND halved the deficit in the second inning, and despite HERTS scoring another run in the bottom of the fifth frame, the FLAMES were able to take the lead in the top of the next inning, aided by a two-out 3-run double off the bat of Brett Wakeley, the number-nine hitter. This made the score 6-5.

 

In the bottom of the sixth, HERTS levelled the game with Andy Cornish stealing third and then advancing home after the attempt to gun him down ended up in the outfield. The FALCONS then attempted a squeeze bunt to plate the go-ahead run, with Aspi Dimitrov on third, Riley Fisher at bat, one out, and a count of 1-and-2.  The bunt went foul, though, and a long fly-ball off the bat of Jason Greenberg, the next batter, was caught in centre field to end the inning.

 

Goetz retired the first RICHMOND batter in the top of the final regulation inning but then gave up a walk to the next batter (his third of the game), which was followed by back-to-back singles to load the bases. Up stepped Brad Crinion, who had worked 11 pitches for a walk in his previous plate appearance (as part of the FLAMES’ 4-run rally in the sixth). Included in those 11 pitches were three fiercely hit balls that just strayed foul down the third-base line. In the seventh, though, Goetz pitched masterfully to Crinion, striking him out on three swings.

 

With the bases still loaded, the left-handed hitter Matt Spaulding came up to bat. He hit a grounder straight at first baseman Darrin Ward, and for a moment it looked like a bobble might take the ball away from the dependable gloveman, but Ward managed to handle it and then got across to first to retire Spaulding by two steps.

 

In the bottom of the seventh, the FALCONS got their lead-off hitter, Lin Yuchih, aboard with a walk, but Darrin Ward grounded into a force-out at second for the first out. With Kimiyoshi Saionji at bat (pictured right), HERTS might have considered bringing in a pinch-runner for Ward but this would have taken his glove out of the game if it had gone into extra innings.

 

Saionji had delivered a walk-off hit when HERTS defeated LONDON back at the start of May, and he did the same once again with his double to the recently installed permanent fence scoring Ward all the way from first.

 

Tellingly, this was the first earned run that Osborn had given up in the game.

 

 

Richmond Flames 4

Herts Falcons 5

 

Darrin Ward (pictured right) picked up the win in this game to join Henry Collins of BRACKNELL and Michael Osborn as the first pitchers to get to three victories this season.

 

RICHMOND opened the game with a 3-run first inning, but HERTS scored a run in each of the first four innings, while RICHMOND added only a solo home run, hit by Grant Delzoppo, through the top of the fifth inning.

 

With the game tied at 4-4, Ward led off the bottom of the fifth with a double and advanced to third on a ground-out to short. Like they had in game one, HERTS tried the squeeze bunt, but the RICHMOND pitcher Brad Crinion was clearly wise to the ploy as he directed the pitch well above the strike zone, making it impossible for Lee Manning to put bat on ball. This left Ward an easy out at the plate, killing the threat.

 

After holding the FLAMES to no score in the top of the sixth, the FALCONS again found themselves with one out and a runner on base, Jamie Munn (pictured left). This time, the call was made to bring in Andy Cornish as a pinch-hitter. He connected for a single to score Munn and leave the FALCONS three outs away from a second victory of the day.

 

Despite having to face the heart of RICHMOND’s batting line-up in the seventh, Ward struck out the side to complete an unlikely sweep.

 

The results left four teams tied for first in the NBL: RICHMOND (7-5), HERTS (6-4), LONDON (6-4), and BRACKNELL (5-3). The CROYDON PIRATES, the NBL’s fifth team, are yet to register a win.

 

Joe Gray writes for BaseballGB and also looks after Great British top-tier statistics, Project Cobb, and the Great Britain National Team archive.

More images from the game courtesy of Joe Gray

GAME 1

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

Herts Falcons 7, Richmond Flames 6
Herts Falcons Richmond Flames
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Riley Fisher 3b 4 1 0 0 Saito Yoshi ss 4 0 3 0
Jason Greenberg c 4 1 0 0 Mann Mike 2b 4 0 0 0
Lin Yuchih dh 3 1 0 0 Grant Delzoppo c 2 0 0 0
Darrin Ward 1b 4 2 3 1 Guy Lidbetter lf-3b 4 1 2 0
Kimiyoshi Saionji 2b 3 1 1 2 Mike Osborn p 4 2 3 1
Luis Goncalves ss 3 0 0 1 Brad Crinion 1b 3 1 1 1
Andy Cornish rf 3 1 0 0 Mitt Spalding rf 4 1 0 0
Aspi Dimitrov lf 3 0 0 0 George Naumczik cf 2 1 1 2
Jamie Munn cf 3 0 0 0 Brett Wakeley 3b-lf 3 0 1 0
Nick Goetz p 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 30 7 4 4 TEAM TOTALS 30 6 11 4

E: Nick Goetz, Aspi Dimitrov, Guy Lidbetter(4), Mann Mike(2), Brett Wakeley(2), Saito
Yoshi, Brad Crinion, Grant Delzoppo. DP: Herts Falcons 1. LOB: Herts Falcons 6,
Richmond Flames 7. 2B: Kimiyoshi Saionji, Brett Wakeley. SB: Aspi Dimitrov, Andy
Cornish. SF: Kimiyoshi Saionji, George Naumczik.

Herts Falcons IP H R ER BB SO
Nick Goetz W 7.00 11 6 6 3 4
Richmond Flames            
Mike Osborn L 6.33 4 7 1 1 8

PB: Grant Delzoppo. T: 2:08. A: 38.

GAME 2

Richmond Flames at Herts Falcons
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Richmond Flames 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 4 5 6
Herts Falcons 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 5 8 2

Herts Falcons 5, Richmond Flames 4
Herts Falcons Richmond Flames
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Riley Fisher 3b 4 1 3 0 Saito Yoshi ss 3 1 0 0
Kimiyoshi Saionji rf 3 0 0 0 Mike Osborn 3b 4 0 0 0
Lin Yuchih 2b 3 1 1 0 Delzoppo Grant c 3 2 2 1
Darrin Ward p 3 1 2 0 Guy Lidbetter 1b 4 1 1 2
Luis Goncalves ss 1 0 0 0 Brad Crinion p 3 0 1 1
Lee Manning 1b 3 0 0 0 Brett Wakeley lf 2 0 1 0
Aspi Dimitrov lf 3 1 1 1 George Naumczik cf 3 0 0 0
Jamie Munn cf 3 1 0 0 Matt Spalding rf 3 0 0 0
Jason Greenberg c 2 0 0 0 Mike Mann 2b 3 0 0 0
(t6) Andy Cornish c 1 0 1 1
TEAM TOTALS 26 5 8 2 TEAM TOTALS 28 4 5 4

E: Riley Fisher(2), Mike Mann(3), Saito Yoshi(2), Matt Spalding. LOB: Herts Falcons
5, Richmond Flames 6. 2B: Darrin Ward, Guy Lidbetter, Brad Crinion. HR: Delzoppo
Grant. SB: Lin Yuchih(2), Luis Goncalves, Aspi Dimitrov.

Herts Falcons IP H R ER BB SO
Darrin Ward W 7.00 5 4 4 3 5
Richmond Flames            
Brad Crinion L 6.00 8 5 1 2 3

WP: Brad Crinion. T: 1:55. A: 38.

by AspiDimitrov

AAA CLASH ON SOUTH COAST BOILS OVER

Report from Herts Baseball Newswire Correspondent, DAVE HAMILTON

 

Controversy ruled in Southampton on Sunday as, after hours of uncompromising baseball in blazing sunshine, manager Dave Westfallen led his Eagles team from the field in protest with the score still tied 8-8 in extra innings.  It was a sad end to a game where Herts had fought off everything the Mustangs could throw at them but a very competitive match-up was ruined by a string of umpiring decisions which seemed to consistently favour the home side.

 

It was probably appropriate that the hottest day of the season would produce the most heated confrontation to date although no one could have anticipated the sudden and acrimonious end, which occurred when the umpire (who was one of the Southampton players) tried to eject the Eagles' manager from the game.  This was the final straw for the visitors who had been frustrated throughout at the umpire's lack of neutrality and after several unproductive conversations between the two managers and the umpire to try and resolve the problem, the Eagles agreed they could not overcome this obstacle any longer and followed their catcher off the diamond.  The game, which despite (or perhaps because of) the umpiring problems was still on a knife-edge, was therefore abandoned.

 

After a lacklustre display in game 1, the Herts Eagles had come out much more fired-up in game 2, scoring three first innings runs to take an early advantage.  Trouble arose as early as the second inning of the contest though when the stand-in umpire's strike zone seemed to narrow, with a number of borderline pitches not being given as strikes.  Two of the home side drew walks as a result and both came round to score, giving the Southampton Mustangs a 4-3 advantage. 

 

Louis Hare scored on a single by shortstop Pete Kikel to tie the score in the third inning before the Mustangs edged ahead once more and then extended their lead to 7-4 after four innings. With the umpire viewing many of pitcher Hare's curveballs as being outside the strike zone, the 21 year old right hander was being forced to throw a lot of extra pitches in the scorching heat, as well as being unable to use his full variations that had proved so successful in recent weeks at keeping hitters off balance.  However, when a belt high fastball over the middle of the plate was called a 'ball' the Eagles knew they were in for a long afternoon.

 

After a scoreless fifth inning the Eagles fought back in the sixth inning and some aggressive baserunning forced two throwing errors from the home side's otherwise solid defence.  This allowed three runs to score on a single by first baseman John Oliver, who then scored on Hare's third hit of the game to give Herts an 8-7 lead. 

 

Unfortunately the Eagles couldn't keep the lead for long, but a tag at home plate meant they held the score to 8-8 entering the final inning.  With the tension mounting, both teams managed to get a runner to third base but were unable to come up with the crucial hit to score the run, and the game was forced into extra innings.

 

It seemed likely that the Eagles would draw first blood in extra innings as they managed to get runners onto second and third base with only one out.  However, Kal Dimitrov was then caught in a run-down between third and home on a failed squeeze play.  The Eagles claimed interference as, with a number of Mustangs players involved in the attempt to tag the runner, Dimitrov had dodge at least one player on the baseline who didn't have the ball.  Such an unusual call would be difficult for any umpire, not least at such a crucial point in the game, but given the troubles of earlier innings it was no surprise that the home team were given the benefit of the doubt and the 8-8 scoreline was retained.

 

Despite their growing frustration, and with the game becoming increasingly bad tempered, Herts once again held firm in defence to force a second extra inning, but were unable to break the deadlock in their half of the inning.  The sense of injustice increased when catcher Dave Westfallen was called out on strikes on a pitch high in the strike zone and when with one out in the bottom half of the inning the same pitch was then called a ball for the Mustangs batter, the irate Eagles manager couldn't help but comment, leading to his ejection from the game and the unsavoury halt to proceedings.

 

Earlier in the day, the Mustangs had run out comfortable 11-1 winners in game 1.  Unfortunately the Eagles' bats were unable to generate any offence for pitcher Mike Wakelam on his return from injury.  It should be noted that this game was very well, and fairly, umpired by a different Mustangs player. 

 

I should also add that in a league which often depends on regular players to stand in as umpires, we support and value the efforts of these individuals who often sacrifice their own playing time to help ensure the games can proceed.  We all understand that as stand in officials, mistakes will be made, particularly on some of the finer elements of the rule book.  However, it's important for everyone that the umpire is consistent for both teams in his treatment of the strike zone and the calls he makes.  Without this the enjoyment, which is crucial to a Sunday afternoon league, is rapidly lost and frustrations inevitably boil over.

 

GAME 1

Herts Eagles at Sothampton Mustangs
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Herts Eagles 0 1 0 0 0 1 4 5
Sothampton Mustangs 4 0 2 3 2 11 4 1

Sothampton Mustangs 11, Herts Eagles 1
Sothampton Mustangs Herts Eagles
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Lean 3b 2 2 0 0 Nick Russell rf 3 0 0 0
Ralph p 1 2 0 0 John Oliver 1b 3 0 0 0
Urbanscons cf 3 1 1 2 Ade Orioye lf 2 0 0 0
Johnson 2b-lf-ss 7 5 2 3 Louis Hare 2b 2 0 0 0
Wrighty c 3 0 0 1 Dave Westfallen c-ss 2 1 1 0
Barnes 1b 2 1 1 0 Peter Kikel 3b 1 0 0 0
Taylor rf 1 0 0 0 Mike Wakelam p 2 0 2 1
Dave Hamilton cf 2 0 0 0
Jake Kikel c 2 0 1 0
(b5) Kal Dimitrov c 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 19 11 4 6 TEAM TOTALS 19 1 4 1

E: Barnes, Dave Hamilton, Dave Westfallen, Peter Kikel, Mike Wakelam, Kal Dimitrov.
LOB: Sothampton Mustangs 1, Herts Eagles 4. 3B: Johnson. SB: Johnson(6), Lean(3),
Ralph(2), Urbanscons, Dave Westfallen.

Sothampton Mustangs IP H R ER BB SO
Ralph W 5.00 4 1 1 1 4
Herts Eagles            
Mike Wakelam L 4.33 4 11 5 4 4

HBP: by Mike Wakelam (Johnson). . . , by Mike Wakelam (Taylor). . WP: Ralph, Mike
Wakelam(2). T: 2:02. A: 30.

GAME 2

Herts Eagles at Southampton Mustangs
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Herts Eagles 3 0 1 0 0 4 0 0 0 8 9 2
Southampton Mustangs 1 3 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 8 14 2

Herts Eagles 8, Southampton Mustangs 8
Herts Eagles Southampton Mustangs
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
John Oliver 1b 4 2 3 3 Lean ss 5 3 3 1
Nick Russell lf-ss 4 0 0 0 Ralph 3b 4 0 2 3
Rodney Naghar 2b 4 1 0 0 Urbanschlier p 5 1 3 0
Louis Hare p 5 2 3 2 Johnson 2b 5 0 2 1
Dave Westfallen c 3 0 0 0 Cooper lf 5 1 1 0
Peter Kikel ss-3b 5 0 2 3 Baines 1b 4 1 0 0
Mike Wakelam 3b 3 1 0 0 Taylor cf 3 1 1 0
(b6) Ade Orioye lf 1 0 0 0 Arieta rf 4 0 2 1
Dave Hamilton cf 3 1 1 0 Davis c 4 1 0 1
Kal Dimitrov rf 1 1 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 33 8 9 8 TEAM TOTALS 39 8 14 7

E: John Oliver, Rodney Naghar, Ralph, Urbanschlier. DP: Southampton Mustangs 1. LOB:
Herts Eagles 7, Southampton Mustangs 8. 2B: Urbanschlier, Arieta. SB: Louis Hare(3),
John Oliver(2), Kal Dimitrov(2), Ade Orioye(2), Dave Westfallen, Peter Kikel, Rodney
Naghar, Urbanschlier(3), Lean(2), Cooper(2), Johnson, Baines, Ralph. CS: Kal
Dimitrov. SB: Nick Russell.

Herts Eagles IP H R ER BB SO
Louis Hare 8.33 14 8 7 2 0
Southampton Mustangs            
Urbanschlier 9.00 9 8 4 7 8

HBP: by Urbanschlier (Kal Dimitrov). . . . PB: Dave Westfallen, Davis. T: 2:51. A: 30

by AspiDimitrov

RED SOX AND YANKEES ON TOP IN HERTS LITTLE LEAGUE

The Herts Red Sox picked up two wins out of two in week 3 of the Herts Baseball Little League and are now tied at the top of the table with the Yankees.

 

With the Yankees missing several key players, the Red Sox took full advantage obliterating  them 10-1.  Rookie, Ronnie Howell, started on the mound for the Sox and pitched another gem.  He helped himself with an inside the park grand slam.  His performance was rewarded with the Red Sox Player of the Week Award.

 

Game 2 was a closer affair against the Cubs, but once again the Red Sox proved too strong.  The Herts Cubs find themselves at the bottom of the league and in a 3-game losing streak.  They will look to end it this coming Saturday.  Despite this there were many positives for the Cubs to take out of week 3, most notably Declan Carlean who picked up the Cubs Player of the Week Award.

 

After their defeat against the Red Sox, the Yankees managed to come back with a 9-5 win against the Blue Jays, who had earlier beaten the Cubs 5-3.  Lewis Green and Zack Longboy picked up the Player of the Week Awards for the Yankees and Blue Jays, respectively.

 

Click to view the Herts Baseball Little League scoreboard and standings

 

More Images from Week 3 of the Herts Baseball Little League

 

Below you will find box scores from the second games of the day.

 

Herts Cubs at Herts Red Sox
Score By Innings 1 2 3 R H E
Herts Cubs 0 0 5 5 4 0
Herts Red Sox 1 0 1 2 1 0

Herts Cubs 5, Herts Red Sox 1
Herts Cubs Herts Red Sox
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Charlie Owens rf 0 0 0 1 Mikito Ariga p 1 1 1 0
Liam Green p 1 1 1 1 Michelle Johnson 2b 0 0 0 0
Daniel Brener b 0 0 0 1 Declan Carlean 1b 2 0 0 0
Carlos Casal Jr 3b 2 0 1 0 J.D. Ludlow ss 0 0 0 0
Michael Davis ss 2 0 0 0 Andrew Wells 3b 1 0 0 1
Ronnie Howell b 1 1 1 0 James Wells cf 1 0 0 0
Connor Caffrey b 1 1 1 1 Robert Wells rf 1 0 0 0
Adam White ss 0 1 0 0 Ewan Thom c 0 0 0 0
Theo Longboy 2b 0 1 0 1 George Owens lf 1 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 7 5 4 5 TEAM TOTALS 7 1 1 1

LOB: Herts Red Sox 5, Herts Cubs 6. 2B: Mikito Ariga.

Herts Cubs IP H R ER BB SO
Liam Green W 2.00 1 1 1 4 4
Herts Red Sox            
Mikito Ariga L 1.33 4 5 5 7 2

HBP: by Mikito Ariga (Adam White), by Liam Green (Ewan Thom). T: 1:30. A: 85.

 

Herts Blue Jays at Herts Yankees
Score By Innings 1 2 R H E
Herts Blue Jays 5 4 9 6 1
Herts Yankees 2 3 5 2 0

Herts Blue Jays 10, Herts Yankees 5
Herts Blue Jays Herts Yankees
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Jamie Paterson ss 1 1 0 0 Zachary Longboy ss 0 2 0 0
Dan Phillips c 1 2 1 0 Aaron Witter 2b-p 1 1 1 0
Player 2 2b-1b 1 1 1 0 Kieran Manning 1b-p-2b 1 1 1 0
Player 5 1b-3b 0 2 0 1 Lewis Paterson p-1b 1 0 0 1
Lewis Green lf 2 2 2 1 Jacob Strange 3b 1 0 0 0
James Baird 3b-p-2b 0 2 0 2 Yuki Ariga c 0 0 0 2
Lewis Auchterlounie cf 0 0 0 0 Sub 7 lf 1 1 0 1
Rhys Whitney p-2b 1 0 1 4 Chloe Strange rf 2 0 0 0
Jamie Rowley rf 1 0 1 1 Ozam Martin cf 2 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 7 10 6 9 TEAM TOTALS 9 5 2 4

E: Player 2. LOB: Herts Blue Jays 4, Herts Yankees 6. 3B: Rhys Whitney.

Herts Blue Jays IP H R ER BB SO
Rhys Whitney W 1.67 2 2 2 4 5
James Baird 0.33 0 3 2 4 1
Herts Yankees            
Aaron Witter 0.67 3 5 5 5 0
Lewis Paterson 0.33 3 3 3 1 0
Kieran Manning L 0.00 0 2 2 3 0

HBP: by Lewis Paterson (Player 5). . T: 1:25. A: 89.

by AspiDimitrov

FIRST EVER SCORED HERTS LITTLE LEAGUE GAME, WALK-OFF WIN FOR BLUE JAYS

The Herts Baseball Little League is making big strides and one of the additions to this season's competition is the official scoring of games.  During Spring Training, while the players were getting themselves ready for the season, many of the Little League parents volunteered to become official League scorers.  What a dedicated group of parents?  The Herts Little League now has its first officially scored game.  And what a game it was.  The Blue Jays recorded a memorable walk-off victory over the Red Sox, Storm Frisby with the game-winning RBI.

The addition of scoring games will be a very valuable tool for players and coaches in evaluating player and team performances. 

As scoring is gradually incorporated in every Little League game, the software will also assist coaches in tracking pitchers' pitch count ensuring that the league complies with pitch count rules applicable in youth baseball.

It will enhance the experince of fans as the scoring software used by Herts Baseball Club will allow a much more accurate and detailed reporting of games.  Below is an example of some of the capabilities including box scores just like they do it in Major League Baseball, as well as a play-by-play account of the game. 

Herts Red Sox at Herts Blue Jays
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Herts Red Sox 1 0 1 1 0 3 9 0
Herts Blue Jays 0 1 1 2 0 4 10 0

Herts Blue Jays 4, Herts Red Sox 3
Herts Blue Jays Herts Red Sox
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Bradley Edgar p 3 0 2 0 Aaron Witter cf 3 0 0 0
Aaron Witter 2b 3 0 1 0 Michael Davis 1b-p 2 1 1 0
Kieran Manning 3b 2 1 1 1 Ronnie Howell p-c-1b 3 1 3 0
Lewis Paterson 1b 1 1 0 0 Charlie Owens ss 2 0 0 0
Micky Watson c 3 0 1 1 Liam Green 3b 3 1 2 1
Zachary Longboy ss 2 1 1 0 Daniel Brener c 2 0 1 1
Stella Dixon lf-cf 5 1 3 1 Connor Caffrey lf 2 0 1 0
(b4) Storm Frisby lf 1 0 1 1 Adam White 2b 3 0 1 1
TEAM TOTALS 20 4 10 4 TEAM TOTALS 20 3 9 3

LOB: Herts Red Sox 7, Herts Blue Jays 10. 3B: Zachary Longboy, Micky Watson(2).

Herts Blue Jays IP H R ER BB SO
Bradley Edgar W 4.00 9 3 3 0 9
Herts Red Sox            
Ronnie Howell 3.00 8 2 2 1 7
Michael Davis L 0.33 2 2 2 3 1

HBP: by Bradley Edgar (Connor Caffrey). , by Bradley Edgar (Daniel Brener). . . T:
1:25. A: 89.
Herts Red Sox – Top of the 1st:
Aaron Witter struck out looking.
Michael Davis singled, batted forward to home.
Micky Watson singled, batted forward to 2nd.
Charlie Owens struck out looking.
Liam Green singled, 1 RBI.
Daniel Brener struck out swinging.
1 run, 3 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Herts Blue Jays – Bottom of the 1st:
Bradley Edgar singled, batted forward to 3rd.
Aaron Witter singled, batted forward to 2nd.
Kieran Manning struck out looking.
Lewis Paterson walked.
Micky Watson struck out looking.
Zachary Longboy struck out looking.
0 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 3 LOB.
Herts Red Sox – Top of the 2nd:
Connor Caffrey hit by pitch.
Adam White struck out looking.
Aaron Witter struck out looking.
Michael Davis grounded out.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Herts Blue Jays – Bottom of the 2nd:
Stella Dixon struck out swinging.
Stella Dixon singled, batted forward to home.
Bradley Edgar singled, batted forward to 2nd.
Aaron Witter struck out looking.
Kieran Manning singled, 1 RBI.
Lewis Paterson struck out looking.
1 run, 3 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Herts Red Sox – Top of the 3rd:
Micky Watson tripled, forced out at home.
Charlie Owens struck out looking.
Liam Green singled, batted forward to home.
Daniel Brener hit by pitch, batted forward to 3rd.
Connor Caffrey singled, batted forward to 2nd.
Adam White singled, forced out at 2nd, 1 RBI.
Aaron Witter reached on fielder's choice.
1 run, 4 hits, 0 errors, 3 LOB.
Herts Blue Jays – Bottom of the 3rd:
Micky Watson grounded out.
Zachary Longboy tripled, batted forward to home.
Stella Dixon singled, batted forward to 3rd.
Stella Dixon singled, batted forward to 2nd, 1 RBI.
Bradley Edgar grounded out.
Aaron Witter struck out looking.
1 run, 3 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Herts Red Sox – Top of the 4th:
Micky Watson tripled, batted forward to home.
Liam Green struck out looking.
Daniel Brener singled, 1 RBI.
Connor Caffrey struck out looking.
Adam White struck out looking.
1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Herts Blue Jays – Bottom of the 4th:
Kieran Manning walked, batted forward to home.
Lewis Paterson walked, batted forward to home.
Micky Watson singled, batted forward to 3rd, 1 RBI.
Zachary Longboy walked, batted forward to 2nd.
Stella Dixon struck out looking.
Storm Frisby singled, 1 RBI.
2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 3 LOB.
Herts Red Sox – Top of the 5th:
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
by AspiDimitrov

A CHANCE FOR HERTS BASEBALL FANS TO SUPPORT THE GB TEAM ON THEIR WAY TO THE WORLD CUP

 

Herts Baseball Club is committed to helping the Great Britain National Team to raise the funding necessary to send a fully prepared squad to the World Cup in September. The Great Britain team is involved in various fundraising projects.  One of them is the sale of GB baseball merchandise. 

 

Readers of the Herts Baseball Newswire can help the GB National Team by ordering merchandise.  The following are the items on offer:

GB Caps: £10 each – One size fits all
GB T-shirts: £10 each – Large and XLarge
GB Pins: £1 each
BBF baseballs: £5 each

Some sample images can be seen by clicking HERE.

Please send in your orders to secretary@hertsbaseball.comby Thursday, February 26th at the latest.

 

In your order email please indicate the quantity (and size for T-shirts) of the items which you want to order.

by AspiDimitrov

RAYS EXTEND RAPTORS’ LOSING STREAK

Report from Herts Baseball Newswire Correspondent, ROB JONES

This was another tale of bold battling from the Herts rookies, but two bad innings consigned them to a tough but honourable defeat.

The Raptors started well in the Essex sunshine. Four of the first five hitters reached base, and the visitors plated three runs. But the Rays pounced when Herts' starting pitcher, Hunter Devine, struggled with his control as he nursed a tight shoulder. With the help of merciless base-stealing, Braintree took a 9-3 lead in the first inning, and that helped them keep their noses in front. 

The next few innings saw the initiative ebb and flow. Having left the mound, Hunter Devine was a menace at the plate and on the bases. He stole 7 bags in all, and Jon Lewys — the Raptors' player of the year so far — came up big again with hits and with strikeouts. By the middle of the fifth it was 16-8 to Braintree, and the match was finely balanced.

Then the Rays bats suddenly got to work. Their hits managed to find gaps in both the infield and outfield and it was death by a thousand cuts for the Raptors as seven runs scored. Throughout the game there had been notably few big hits from the Rays — the outfield had a mostly quiet day, save for one booming hit which turned into a 3-run homer because of the lack of any outfield fence. But, however they are scored, the runs all count.

Raptors tried to strike back in the top of the sixth but a little bit of bad luck sealed their fate. After Ilya Dimitrov earned the latest in his series of walks, he stole his way to third. Rob Jones worked the count and fouled off pitches before finally connecting with a sharp line drive. But rather than finding a gap for an RBI it whizzed straight into the shortstop's waiting glove, and he sharply doubled off Dimitrov at third base. A potential rally was decisively stifled.

Raptors did manage one last hurrah, in the top of the seventh, as they tried to avoid the slaughter rule. A single and a walk got runners on base, and as Chris Brown beat the throw to first on a dropped third strike, Jeff Witter ran in to score from third. He slipped, but was able to literally crawl across home plate and keep the game alive. The Raptors managed to score four runs, but finally the Rays were too strong.

More images of the Raptors' trip to Braintree provided by Rob Jones

Herts Raptors at Braintree Rays
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Herts Raptors 3 1 0 4 0 0 4 12 10 1
Braintree Rays 9 1 5 1 7 1 0 24 14 3

Braintree Rays 24, Herts Raptors 12
Braintree Rays Herts Raptors
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Player 1 p 2 4 2 2 Hunter Devine p-1b 4 2 3 0
Player 2 c 4 4 3 3 Ilya Dimitrov cf 2 2 1 1
Player 3 1b 4 3 3 2 Rob Jones ss 4 2 0 0
Player 4 2b 3 0 1 1 Andrew Slater 3b 3 2 1 1
Player 5 3b 3 4 2 1 Jonathon Lewys 1b-p 4 1 4 3
Player 6 ss 2 3 0 0 Jeff Witter 2b 3 1 0 0
Player 7 lf 3 1 1 5 Nick Read c-3b 2 0 0 0
Player 8 cf 4 2 1 1 (t4) Perrie Sherman cf-c 2 0 0 0
Player 9 rf 3 3 1 0 Phil Crooks lf 3 0 0 0
Chris Brown rf 3 1 0 0
(b4) Paul Curtis rf-lf 2 1 1 0
TEAM TOTALS 28 24 14 15 TEAM TOTALS 32 12 10 5

E: Player 2(2), Player 3, Hunter Devine. LOB: Braintree Rays 5, Herts Raptors 7. 2B:
Player 2, Player 3, Player 1, Jonathon Lewys(2), Paul Curtis. HR: Player 7. SB:
Player 2(10), Player 3(7), Player 1(6), Player 5(5), Player 8(4), Player 9(4), Player
7(3), Player 4(2), Player 6(2), Hunter Devine(7), Ilya Dimitrov(7), Jonathon
Lewys(5), Andrew Slater(2), Rob Jones(2), Jeff Witter, Paul Curtis. CS: Hunter
Devine. SB: Player 1.

Braintree Rays IP H R ER BB SO
Player 1 W 7.00 10 12 6 8 11
Herts Raptors            
Jonathon Lewys 5.00 11 14 13 8 5
Hunter Devine L 1.00 3 10 10 10 1

HBP: by Player 1 (Nick Read). WP: Player 1(2), Jonathon Lewys. PB: Player 2(2). T:
3:20. A: 60.

by AspiDimitrov

ARROWS COME OUT ON TOP IN HERTS-ESSEX DERBY

Eagles and Arrows starters, Louis Hare (left) and Carlos Mancheno (right), respectively, produced a classic pitchers’ duel

Essex Arrows extended their winning streak to 12 games with two victories over the Herts Eagles at Grovehill to consolidate their position on top of the AAA league.  It was a far from one-sided contest though as the Eagles battled hard throughout game 1 and came close to an unlikely upset.

 

The first game was a classic pitching duel between two very different hurlers.  The visitors’ ace Carlos Mancheno was a fireballer, throwing much quicker than any other pitcher the Eagles had encountered all season and leaving a number of Herts hitters swinging at thin air.  For the home team, stand-in manager Louis Hare was on the mound and doing an excellent job of keeping the powerful Essex hitters off balance with his subtle variations of location and movement.

 

The Eagles held the Arrows to just two runs over six innings and snatched a run of their own thanks to some alert baserunning from Luis Concalves who came round to score from second base as catcher Jason Greenberg managed to beat out what looked to be an inning ending ground ball.  So with just one inning to go, the score was only 2-1 and there was everything to play for.  Unfortunately for the growing number of Eagles fans though, the Arrows launched some power-hitting, including a solo home run by Mancheno, to add three insurance runs which proved more than enough to secure victory. 

 

Game two was less competitive, with the Arrows opening out an early 6-1 lead and eventually running out 16-5 winners.

 

More images from the Essex Arrows vs Herts Eagles battle

GAME 1

Essex Arrows at Herts Eagles
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Essex Arrows 1 0 0 0 1 0 3 5 11 2
Herts Eagles 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 3 1
Essex Arrows 5, Herts Eagles 1
Essex Arrows Herts Eagles
ab r h bi ab r h bi
John Blose ss 4 0 0 0 Rod Ariss ss 2 0 0 0
William Johnson 3b 4 1 0 0 Luis Goncalves 3b 2 1 0 0
Carlos Mancheno p 4 2 3 2 Jason Greenberg c 3 0 2 0
Edwin Alcantara cf 4 0 1 0 Louis Hare p 3 0 0 0
Richard Chesterton rf 4 0 2 1 Jamie Munn 2b 3 0 0 0
(b7) Sub 2 rf 0 0 0 0 Mark Hoffman 1b 3 0 0 0
Adrian Bonsor 1b 2 1 1 0 Bart Schouwenaars rf 3 0 1 0
Franklin Sequera 2b 3 0 1 1 Dave Hamilton cf 3 0 0 0
(t7) Sub 1 pr-2b 0 1 0 0 Ade Orioye lf 2 0 0 0
Rudis Fonseca c 4 0 1 1
Luke Foley lf 3 0 2 0
TEAM TOTALS 32 5 11 5 TEAM TOTALS 24 1 3 0
E: John Blose(2), Luis Goncalves. LOB: Herts Eagles 4, Essex Arrows 10. 2B: Carlos
Mancheno. 3B: Franklin Sequera. HR: Carlos Mancheno. SB: Richard Chesterton, Rod
Ariss, Jason Greenberg. CS: Luke Foley, Jason Greenberg, Jamie Munn.
Essex Arrows IP H R ER BB SO
Carlos Mancheno W 7.00 3 1 0 2 15
Herts Eagles            
Louis Hare L 7.00 11 5 4 3 6
HBP: by Louis Hare (Franklin Sequera). . . . . . WP: Carlos Mancheno, Louis Hare. PB:
Rudis Fonseca. T: 3:00. A: 67.

GAME 2

 

Essex Arrows at Herts Eagles
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
Essex Arrows 4 2 0 1 6 3 16 16 2
Herts Eagles 1 0 1 1 2 0 5 6 0
Essex Arrows 16, Herts Eagles 5
Essex Arrows Herts Eagles
ab r h bi ab r h bi
Player 1 p 3 3 2 0 Rod Ariss ss 2 2 0 0
Player 2 c 5 1 1 0 Aspi Dimitrov p-lf 3 1 1 1
Player 3 1b 3 4 2 2 Carlos Casal 3b 2 1 1 0
Player 4 2b 4 4 4 3 Luis Goncalves 2b 2 0 0 0
Player 5 3b 4 2 3 4 (b4) Lin Yuchih 2b 1 0 1 2
Player 6 ss 4 1 1 1 Louis Hare lf-1b 3 1 1 0
Player 7 lf 5 0 2 1 Bart Schouwenaars 1b-p 2 0 0 0
Player 8 cf 3 0 0 0 (b5) Mark Hoffman p 0 0 0 0
Player 9 rf 2 1 1 0 Dave Hamilton cf 3 0 0 0
Kal Dimitrov c 3 0 2 0
Ade Orioye rf 3 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 33 16 16 11 TEAM TOTALS 24 5 6 3
E: Player 2, Player 6. LOB: Herts Eagles 5, Essex Arrows 10. 2B: Player 4, Player 5,
Aspi Dimitrov, Lin Yuchih. HR: Player 4. SB: Player 1(5), Player 9(4), Player 3(3),
Player 4(3), Player 5(3), Player 2, Player 7, Player 6, Rod Ariss(3), Carlos Casal,
Louis Hare. CS: Player 8, Carlos Casal.
Essex Arrows IP H R ER BB SO
Player 1 W 6.00 6 5 3 4 9
Herts Eagles            
Aspi Dimitrov L 4.00 11 7 4 4 4
Bart Schouwenaars 1.00 1 6 4 6 0
Mark Hoffman 1.00 4 3 1 0 1
HBP: by Bart Schouwenaars (Player 4). . WP: Bart Schouwenaars(6), Aspi Dimitrov(2).
PB: Kal Dimitrov(4). T: 3:00. A: 67.
by AspiDimitrov

PASSION SPILLING OVER IN HAWKS’ CLASH WITH STAGS

Brentwood Stags at Herts Hawks
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Brentwood Stags 0 1 2 1 7 2 3 0 1 17 17 3
Herts Hawks 1 4 1 2 1 3 0 0 0 12 16 12

Brentwood Stags 17, Herts Hawks 12
Brentwood Stags Herts Hawks
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Player 1 p-c 6 3 4 0 Greg Bochan 2b-3b-ss 5 2 3 2
Player 2 c 2 1 1 0 Paul Auchterlounie cf 2 1 1 1
(b3) Sub 1 3b 4 2 2 0 (b3) Chris Wylie lf-3b 4 0 0 0
Player 3 1b 5 2 2 0 Marty Cullen p 5 1 3 2
Player 4 2b 4 3 2 1 David Baird ss-2b 5 1 0 0
Player 5 3b-p 6 2 2 2 Stuart Boast 1b 5 3 2 0
Player 6 ss 5 1 2 0 Peter Kikel 3b-c 6 1 2 1
Player 7 lf 6 1 1 1 Humberto Goncalves c-2b 4 2 4 3
Player 8 cf 5 1 0 0 (t7) Matt Johnston lf 2 0 0 0
Player 9 rf 5 1 1 1 Kal Dimitrov lf-cf 2 0 0 0
(b5) Josh Smith cf 1 1 0 0
Tim Grant rf 3 0 1 2
(t7) Liam Green rf 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 48 17 17 5 TEAM TOTALS 44 12 16 11

E: Player 5, Player 6, Player 7, David Baird(5), Peter Kikel(3), Marty Cullen, Greg
Bochan, Humberto Goncalves, Josh Smith. DP: Herts Hawks 1. LOB: Brentwood Stags 8,
Herts Hawks 13. 2B: Player 1, Peter Kikel, Marty Cullen, Greg Bochan, Humberto
Goncalves, Stuart Boast. SB: Player 4(3), Player 5(3), Player 1(2), Player 6(2),
Player 2(2), Player 8, Greg Bochan(3), David Baird(2), Peter Kikel, Stuart Boast,
Paul Auchterlounie, Marty Cullen, Liam Green.

Brentwood Stags IP H R ER BB SO
Player 5 W 7.00 10 7 4 3 8
Player 1 2.33 6 5 3 0 3
Herts Hawks            
Marty Cullen L 9.00 17 17 4 3 14

HBP: by Player 5 (Kal Dimitrov), by Player 5 (Tim Grant). , by Player 5 (David
Baird). , by Marty Cullen (Player 3). , by Player 5 (Stuart Boast), by Player 5 (Josh
Smith). . . . WP: Player 5, Marty Cullen(2). T: 3:00. A: 67.
by AspiDimitrov

FALCONS KEEP UP WITH THE PACK IN NBL TITLE CHASE

Report from Herts Baseball Newswire Correspondent, ANDY CORNISH

 

With a runner on third and second, two down and a one run lead to protect, there was a visit to the mound with Catcher Lee Manning, pitcher Darrin Ward and stand in manager Andy Cornish.  Lee started off ‘should we walk this guy, he swings big?’  It was decided to pitch to the current batter.  A ground ball back to Darrin, and easy play at first base, which was followed a state of euphoria.  HERTS WIN, HERTS WIN!

 

With Manager Jason ‘Skip’ Greenberg, Dan ‘Hollywood’ Kerry and Riley ‘the Fish’ Fisher all missing and Eagles game cancelled due to the forecasted weather, additions of Louis Hare and Dave Westfallen were made to the roster.  Herts travelled through a variable weather fronts that has been common with the last few summers in the UK, arriving at top of the National League’s, Bracknell, field in the pouring rain.  It soon cleared up, and the game began on time, and a brilliant game of baseball occurred.  Blows were traded in each inning with no-one certain of the outcome.  In the fourth inning, Bracknell runners on second and third, a ground ball came out to third baseman, Nic Goetz, who threw home, a run down occurred, ending with a tag out, the batter decided to head to second base, unaware there was still a runner there.  Heading back to first base, the runner incurred the second run down of the inning, once again ending in a tag out.  Two run downs, one inning.  Herts were 2 runs up after the 4th and holding strong, but coming out of the 5th inning it was 6-6.  Leading off the top of the 6th, leadoff batter Aspi Dimitrov walked, stole second, advanced to third on a passed ball, and trotted home on a sac fly by Yuchih Lin, 7-6.  Darrin Ward then closed the book on this game only allowing 3 hits over the next 2 innings and shutting down the Bracknell’s offence. 

 

Bracknell looked visibly shaken by this loss.  Nic Goetz took the mound for Herts and a pitching duel commenced in some heavy rain.  Nic was excellent, only allowing 3 hits over the full 7 innings.  This was not enough to wake up the sleeping bats of Herts, and Goetz ended up on the wrong side of a 4-1 game.  During the game, Herts did not get a hit, however, a rare highlight in the sixth as Darrin Ward managed to hit in the only run on an error by the outfield.  Lin (who had also reached on an error) ran around from first base to score as Darrin stood up at second base.  Both Dave Westfallen and Louis Hare provided solid defence, throwing out multiple runners and being a rock at first base respectively.  The second game did not tell the full story as the usually reliable defence had to battle with the heavy showers, allowing 5 errors.

 

Lee Manning made a triumphant return behind the dish, batting 2-4 in the first game, scoring a run, with reliable Kimi Saionji also going 2-4. Stand in manager Andy Cornish commented ‘We came out the blocks straight away against top of the division, and a positive mood in the camp came through.  Bracknell thought that we would just roll over and we were not here to do that, fortune seems to favour the bold.  We need to build on the positives, and next time we see them I am expecting an improvement.  I am very proud of a few players in particular.  The supporters were excellent as always, even in the weather and don’t always seem to get some of the notice that they deserve.’

 

GAME 1


Herts Falcons at Bracknell Blazers
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Herts Falcons 1 3 2 0 0 1 0 7 9 2
Bracknell Blazers 2 2 0 0 2 0 0 6 11 1

Herts Falcons 7, Bracknell Blazers 6
Herts Falcons Bracknell Blazers
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Aspi Dimitrov lf 3 1 1 1 Leo Morgan lf 4 0 0 0
Luis Goncalves ss 2 0 1 1 Damian Van Nickerl 3b 2 1 0 0
Lin Yuchih 2b 3 1 1 1 Ryan Trask ss 4 2 3 2
Darrin Ward p 4 1 1 1 Matt Matland dh-p 4 0 0 0
Kimiyoshi Saionji rf 4 1 2 1 Henry Collins cf 4 1 2 0
John Oliver 1b 3 1 0 0 Marcus Simpson rf 3 1 1 1
Lee Manning c 4 1 2 0 Connor Vernon 2b 4 0 1 0
Nick Goetz 3b 2 1 0 0 Matt Bray c 4 1 3 1
Jamie Munn cf 2 0 1 2 Phil Matthews 1b 3 0 1 0
Brendon Cunliffe p 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 27 7 9 7 TEAM TOTALS 32 6 11 4
E: Lin Yuchih, Kimiyoshi Saionji, Damian Van Nickerl. LOB: Herts Falcons 6, Bracknell
Blazers 9. 2B: Kimiyoshi Saionji, Darrin Ward, Luis Goncalves, Jamie Munn. HR: Ryan
Trask. SB: Aspi Dimitrov(2), Ryan Trask(2), Henry Collins(2), Connor Vernon. CS:
Jamie Munn. SB: Damian Van Nickerl. SF: Luis Goncalves, Lin Yuchih.
Herts Falcons IP H R ER BB SO
Darrin Ward W 7.00 11 6 2 2 6
Bracknell Blazers            
Brendon Cunliffe 4.00 7 6 5 3 6
Matt Matland L 3.00 2 1 0 2 1
HBP: by Darrin Ward (Phil Matthews). . . . . . WP: Brendon Cunliffe(2). PB: Lee
Manning, Matt Bray. T: 2:05. A: 48.

GAME 2

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

Bracknell Blazers 4, Herts Falcons 1
Bracknell Blazers Herts Falcons
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Leo Morgan cf 2 0 0 0 Luis Goncalves ss 4 0 0 0
Damian Van Nickerk 3b 3 0 0 0 Jamie Munn lf 3 0 0 0
Ryan Trask ss 2 0 1 2 Lin Yuchih 3b 1 1 0 0
Matt Matland p 1 0 0 0 Darrin Ward dh 2 0 0 0
(t4) Henry Collins p 2 0 1 0 Kimiyoshi Saionji 2b 3 0 0 0
Tom Bray c 1 2 0 0 Dave Westfallen c 3 0 0 0
Max Flasher 2b 3 0 0 0 Louis Hare 1b 2 0 0 0
Phil Matthews 1b 3 0 0 0 (t6) John Oliver 1b 1 0 0 0
Yaso Minousa lf 3 1 1 1 Aspi Dimitrov cf 1 0 0 0
Mike Cattermole rf 3 1 0 0 Andy Cornish rf 3 0 0 0
Nick Goetz p 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 23 4 3 3 TEAM TOTALS 23 1 0 0
E: Damian Van Nickerk, Ryan Trask, Max Flasher, Lin Yuchih(2), Luis Goncalves, Nick
Goetz, Aspi Dimitrov. LOB: Bracknell Blazers 5, Herts Falcons 6. 2B: Yaso Minousa.
SB: Ryan Trask, Tom Bray. CS: Henry Collins. SB: Leo Morgan.
Bracknell Blazers IP H R ER BB SO
Henry Collins 4.00 0 1 0 1 2
Matt Matland W 3.00 0 0 0 3 4
Herts Falcons            
Nick Goetz L 6.00 3 4 1 2 4
HBP: by Henry Collins (Aspi Dimitrov). , by Nick Goetz (Tom Bray). . T: 1:38. A: 48.

 

 

With a runner on third and second, two down and a one run lead to protect, there was a visit to the mound with Catcher Lee Manning, pitcher Darrin Ward and stand in manager Andy Cornish.  Lee started off ‘should we walk this guy, he swings big?’  It was decided to pitch to the current batter.  A ground ball back to Darrin, and easy play at first base, which was followed a state of euphoria.  HERTS WIN, HERTS WIN!

 

With Manager Jason ‘Skip’ Greenberg, Dan ‘Hollywood’ Kerry and Riley ‘the Fish’ Fisher all missing and Eagles game cancelled due to the forecasted weather, additions of Louis Hare and Dave Westfallen were made to the roster.  Herts travelled through a variable weather fronts that has been common with the last few summers in the UK, arriving at top of the National League’s, Bracknell, field in the pouring rain.  It soon cleared up, and the game began on time, and a brilliant game of baseball occurred.  Blows were traded in each inning with no-one certain of the outcome.  In the fourth inning, Bracknell runners on second and third, a ground ball came out to third baseman, Nic Goetz, who threw home, a run down occurred, ending with a tag out, the batter decided to head to second base, unaware there was still a runner there.  Heading back to first base, the runner incurred the second run down of the inning, once again ending in a tag out.  Two run downs, one inning.  Herts were 2 runs up after the 4th and holding strong, but coming out of the 5th inning it was 6-6.  Leading off the top of the 6th, leadoff batter Aspi Dimitrov walked, stole second, advanced to third on a passed ball, and trotted home on a sac fly by Yuchih Lin, 7-6.  Darrin Ward then closed the book on this game only allowing 3 hits over the next 2 innings and shutting down the Bracknell’s offence. 

 

Bracknell looked visibly shaken by this loss.  Nic Goetz took the mound for Herts and a pitching duel commenced in some heavy rain.  Nic was excellent, only allowing 3 hits over the full 7 innings.  This was not enough to wake up the sleeping bats of Herts, and Goetz ended up on the wrong side of a 4-1 game.  During the game, Herts did not get a hit, however, a rare highlight in the sixth as Darrin Ward managed to hit in the only run on an error by the outfield.  Lin (who had also reached on an error) ran around from first base to score as Darrin stood up at second base.  Both Dave Westfallen and Louis Hare provided solid defence, throwing out multiple runners and being a rock at first base respectively.  The second game did not tell the full story as the usually reliable defence had to battle with the heavy showers, allowing 5 errors.

 

Lee Manning made a triumphant return behind the dish, batting 2-4 in the first game, scoring a run, with reliable Kimi Saionji also going 2-4. Stand in manager Andy Cornish commented ‘We came out the blocks straight away against top of the division, and a positive mood in the camp came through.  Bracknell thought that we would just roll over and we were not here to do that, fortune seems to favour the bold.  We need to build on the positives, and next time we see them I am expecting an improvement.  I am very proud of a few players in particular.  The supporters were excellent as always, even in the weather and don’t always seem to get some of the notice that they deserve.’

 

GAME 1


Herts Falcons at Bracknell Blazers
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Herts Falcons 1 3 2 0 0 1 0 7 9 2
Bracknell Blazers 2 2 0 0 2 0 0 6 11 1

Herts Falcons 7, Bracknell Blazers 6
Herts Falcons Bracknell Blazers
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Aspi Dimitrov lf 3 1 1 1 Leo Morgan lf 4 0 0 0
Luis Goncalves ss 2 0 1 1 Damian Van Nickerl 3b 2 1 0 0
Lin Yuchih 2b 3 1 1 1 Ryan Trask ss 4 2 3 2
Darrin Ward p 4 1 1 1 Matt Matland dh-p 4 0 0 0
Kimiyoshi Saionji rf 4 1 2 1 Henry Collins cf 4 1 2 0
John Oliver 1b 3 1 0 0 Marcus Simpson rf 3 1 1 1
Lee Manning c 4 1 2 0 Connor Vernon 2b 4 0 1 0
Nick Goetz 3b 2 1 0 0 Matt Bray c 4 1 3 1
Jamie Munn cf 2 0 1 2 Phil Matthews 1b 3 0 1 0
Brendon Cunliffe p 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 27 7 9 7 TEAM TOTALS 32 6 11 4
E: Lin Yuchih, Kimiyoshi Saionji, Damian Van Nickerl. LOB: Herts Falcons 6, Bracknell
Blazers 9. 2B: Kimiyoshi Saionji, Darrin Ward, Luis Goncalves, Jamie Munn. HR: Ryan
Trask. SB: Aspi Dimitrov(2), Ryan Trask(2), Henry Collins(2), Connor Vernon. CS:
Jamie Munn. SB: Damian Van Nickerl. SF: Luis Goncalves, Lin Yuchih.
Herts Falcons IP H R ER BB SO
Darrin Ward W 7.00 11 6 2 2 6
Bracknell Blazers            
Brendon Cunliffe 4.00 7 6 5 3 6
Matt Matland L 3.00 2 1 0 2 1
HBP: by Darrin Ward (Phil Matthews). . . . . . WP: Brendon Cunliffe(2). PB: Lee
Manning, Matt Bray. T: 2:05. A: 48.

GAME 2

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

Bracknell Blazers 4, Herts Falcons 1
Bracknell Blazers Herts Falcons
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Leo Morgan cf 2 0 0 0 Luis Goncalves ss 4 0 0 0
Damian Van Nickerk 3b 3 0 0 0 Jamie Munn lf 3 0 0 0
Ryan Trask ss 2 0 1 2 Lin Yuchih 3b 1 1 0 0
Matt Matland p 1 0 0 0 Darrin Ward dh 2 0 0 0
(t4) Henry Collins p 2 0 1 0 Kimiyoshi Saionji 2b 3 0 0 0
Tom Bray c 1 2 0 0 Dave Westfallen c 3 0 0 0
Max Flasher 2b 3 0 0 0 Louis Hare 1b 2 0 0 0
Phil Matthews 1b 3 0 0 0 (t6) John Oliver 1b 1 0 0 0
Yaso Minousa lf 3 1 1 1 Aspi Dimitrov cf 1 0 0 0
Mike Cattermole rf 3 1 0 0 Andy Cornish rf 3 0 0 0
Nick Goetz p 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 23 4 3 3 TEAM TOTALS 23 1 0 0
E: Damian Van Nickerk, Ryan Trask, Max Flasher, Lin Yuchih(2), Luis Goncalves, Nick
Goetz, Aspi Dimitrov. LOB: Bracknell Blazers 5, Herts Falcons 6. 2B: Yaso Minousa.
SB: Ryan Trask, Tom Bray. CS: Henry Collins. SB: Leo Morgan.
Bracknell Blazers IP H R ER BB SO
Henry Collins 4.00 0 1 0 1 2
Matt Matland W 3.00 0 0 0 3 4
Herts Falcons            
Nick Goetz L 6.00 3 4 1 2 4
HBP: by Henry Collins (Aspi Dimitrov). , by Nick Goetz (Tom Bray). . T: 1:38. A: 48.

by AspiDimitrov

POLICE AND FIRE BRIGADE OPEN A NEW SEASON OF HERTS BASEBALL LITTLE LEAGUE

The girls and boys of the Herts Baseball Little League opened the 2009 season in the usual festive fashion.  The ceremony started with the unveiling of the league teams.  Last season, the league consisted of four teams.  In addition, in 2009 two new teams have been added to the line-up. 

 

In order to create a better balance in terms of age and ability, the six teams were divided into two separate divisions.  Last year’s four teams, Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs and Blue Jays, will once again compete against each other and this will be referred to as the“Majors” Division.  The two new teams, the Cardinals and the Giants, will be playing in the newly created “Minors” Division, which will include the league’s youngest players some aged as young as 5.

 

Opening Day’s guests of honour were members of the Hertfordshire Constabulary and Hertfordshire’s Fire and Rescue.  The young baseball players had the opportunity to shake their hands and show their appreciation for the men and women of the emergency services.

 

Dacorum and St. Albans District Commander of Hertfordhsire Fire and Rescue, Simon Brown, said: “It is fantastic to see such a wonderful programme in our community and we are glad that we have a chance to take part in this great event”.  His counterpart from the Hertfordshire Constabulary, Pete Edwards, added: “It is so nice to meet all the boys and girls and we hope that the Herts Baseball programme will continue to grow”.

 

Their colleagues, Danny Allsopp, Simon Steptoe, Beansy Harper, Sticky Pymont of Herts Fire and Rescue and Ryan Coyle, Matt Caan, Daniel  John of the Herts Constabulary joined them for the ceremonial first pitch.  All eight guests of honour showed good baseball abilities delivering powerful and accurate pitches.  On the other side eight Little League players were waiting to receive the pitches, and so the 2009 season was officially opened.

 

Whether it is baseball, football or some other sport, there is a common belief that the standard in every sport improves year-after-year.  Without any doubt this theory applies to the Herts Baseball League.  The improvement of the baseball players over the last 12 years has been incredible.  A lot of credit has to be given not only to the coaches, but most importantly to the players who have been working hard to improve.  Some have been putting in countless hours of work at home practicing various aspects of the game.  And it is certainly paying off.  This was illustrated very well by the magnificent triple play executed with the skill that we associate only with MLB players.

 

In the first games of the Majors Division, the Red Sox managed to overcome the Yankees 4-3.  In the other game, the Cubs started the season with a 1-0 win against the Blue Jays.  As the score line suggests, this was a classic pitchers’ duel.  In the second games, the Yankees beat the Blue Jays 10-5 while the Red Sox are the only team with aa 100% record after their 9-4 win against the Cubs.

 

In the Minors Division, it was the Cardinals that came out on top of a 21-20 epic against the Giants.

 

Click here for more images from Opening Day.

 

Boys and girls aged between 5 and 14+ can join the Herts Baseball Little League at any time.  For more details visit www.hertslittleleague.com