Category: Youth Leagues

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

HERTS BASEBALL CLUB AWARDED BSUK GRANT TO IMPROVE FACILITIES

 

This article first appeared on www.baseballsoftballuk.com

 

Herts Baseball Club, Brentwood Baseball Club, Manchester Softball League, Fakenham Falcons Softball Club and London Mets Baseball and Softball Club have all been successful in applying for Equipment and Facilities Grants that BSUK advertised earlier in the year.

 

The money is being distributed by BSUK from a capital funding grant provided by Sport England on the basis of BSUK’s 2009-2013 Whole Sport Plan.

 

The funding, amounting to up to £5,000 per project, has to be match-funded by the receiving organisations to allow them to develop facilities through projects costing up to £10,000.00. The grants will give these organisations the opportunity to erect backstops, develop infields and generally improve their facilities and the playing experience for their members and players.

 

It will also allow them to show visiting teams what can be done with a little bit of time and effort and the support of BSUK.

 

Better Standards

 

All new facilities being created through these grants will be ready for the 2010 season and will allow teams to enjoy a better standard of play, provide help in attracting new players and allow the staging of tournaments and finals. The upgraded facilities will also provide a more exciting experience for youngsters when clubs and leagues work with local schools.

 

BSUK National Club Development Manager Paul Wilkinson said, “It has taken a lot of hard work to set up the process for distributing the grants, due to the need to be able to be audited by other agencies. This is the first time we have had money from Sport England to distribute to affiliated leagues and clubs, but hopefully it will not be the last.”

 

Following on from these small grants, BSUK will soon be looking towards four Regional Centre projects where £100,000 grants will be available to develop tournament and Academy standard facilities in each of the four regions where BSUK’s work is concentrated: London, the South East, the North West and the Midlands.

HERTBREAK…HERTS LOSE FINAL IN AN EPIC1-0 BALLGAME

The British National Baseball Championships (NBC) entered their final weekend with the Youth competition at Finsbury Park, home of the London Mets. The Bronco (ages 10-13) and Pony (ages 13-16) leagues each welcomed four contending squads, making up the top eight youth teams in the BBF. In addition to the host Mets, the Halton Polecats, Cartmel Valley, Herts Baseball Club, the Bracknell Tornadoes and the Horsham Hornets survived the gruelling stretch of playoff games to reach the NBC.

BRONCO FINALS

On Saturday the tournament hosts, the London Mets, advanced to Sunday’s BBF Bronco Final. By overturning a courageous Cartmel Valley comeback, the Mets batted their way to a six-inning win.

Later that afternoon, Herts won in extra innings against Halton after their Polecats tied the game but then stranded the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth inning. (A regulation Bronco game is six-innings long, while a Pony game is seven.)

3rd/4th Bronco Game: Halton Polecats 8, Cartmel Valley 4

These games set up a 3rd-4th place showdown between Halton and Cartmel Valley. These two regional rivals have played many times before and the players were eager to take the diamond. In a very rapid six-inning game, Halton quickly found their bats and slugged out a significant lead. Cartmel’s pitching struggled to contain the aggressive Polecats lineup. Leadoff batter Harry Pickup was 2-4 with one RBI and Spencer Roberts was 1-3 with two RBI. Halton’s starting pitcher – Jonas Grader – pitched five innings of quality ball, allowing only three earned runs and a .286 opponent batting average.

Cartmel Valley was not without some offence of their own. Jonny Hill went 2-3, and Tyler Prescott and Ross Duclos were each 1-2 with one RBI. Catcher Tom Woodburn hit a monster solo home run late in the game; some fans reckon the baseball travelled roughly 300 feet and landed near third base on the adjacent Pony diamond.

Nevertheless, Halton’s offence was too much and they won the game 8-4 securing their third-place berth in the BBF Bronco League.

Bronco Final: London Mets 1, Herts Baseball Club 0

Herts and London, also regional rivals, played the tightest, most competitive match of the entire Championships weekend. The stakes were high: bragging rights as the top Bronco team in the country. But the 10-13 year olds kept their wits about them and simply focused on playing solid baseball.

It wasn’t until the fourth inning that the game’s only run scored. After throwing three shutout innings, Herts starter Nick Martinez allowed a deep double to London’s Jack Peters. It was only one of three hits allowed by Martinez in four innings of work, but it was enough despite his seven strikeouts. The run came in to score on some aggressive Mets baserunning and it was the difference in the game. London’s starter, Ryan Headlam, allowed just one hit in his three innings of work. It was the only hit for Herts on the day (from Lewis Patterson).

Jack Peters pitched three innings of hitless relief for London, earning four strikeouts and throwing 27 strikes versus only nine balls. Leadoff Met Jamie Dix had two stolen bases.

On the way to the Final, Herts eliminated 5 of the best teams in the country. The Club’s youth programme may have been established only 2 years ago, but this amazing achievement confirms Herts as a growing force in British Youth Baseball.

Click for more images from the 2009 National Baseball Championships

 


2009 BRITISH NATIONAL BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP (UNDER-13s)

FINAL, HERTS ALL STARS @ LONDON METS


Herts All Stars at London Mets
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
Herts All Stars 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
London Mets 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 3 0
London Mets 1, Herts All Stars 0
London Mets Herts All Stars
ab r h bi ab r h bi
Jamie Dix c 2 0 0 0 Carlos Casal Jr rf 3 0 0 0
Chris Saltzgaber ss 3 0 0 0 Mikito Ariga c 3 0 0 0
Josh Porter cf 2 0 0 0 Nick Martinez p-ss 2 0 0 0
Jack Peters 3b-p 2 1 2 0 Liam Green cf 1 0 0 0
Ryan Headlam p-3b 2 0 1 0 Lewis Paterson 1b 2 0 1 0
Zac Stroman 1b 2 0 0 1 Marty Cullen Jr ss-p 2 0 0 0
Mathew Tarrant 2b 2 0 0 0 Jamie Paterson 3b 2 0 0 0
(t5) Ben Turner 2b 0 0 0 0 Zachary Longboy 2b 2 0 0 0
Todd Dulius rf 1 0 0 0 Dan Phillips lf 0 0 0 0
(b5) George Atkinson rf 1 0 0 0 (b4) Charlie Mayhew lf 0 0 0 0
Ewan Clegg lf 1 0 0 0 (t6) Michael Davies lf 1 0 0 0
(t4) Rintaro Suzuki lf 1 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 19 1 3 1 TEAM TOTALS 18 0 1 0
E: Lewis Paterson. LOB: Herts All Stars 2, London Mets 4. 2B: Jack Peters. SB: Jamie
Dix(2), Lewis Paterson, Liam Green. CS: Carlos Casal Jr.
London Mets IP H R ER BB SO
Ryan Headlam 3.00 1 0 0 3 3
Jack Peters W 3.00 0 0 0 0 4
Herts All Stars
Nick Martinez L 4.00 3 1 1 1 7
Marty Cullen Jr 1.00 0 0 0 0 1
PB: Mikito Ariga. T: 1:05. A: 198.

DRAMATIC EXTRA INNINGS WIN TAKES HERTS TO THE FINAL

This article first appeared on www.britishbaseball.org

The British National Baseball Championships (NBC) entered their final weekend with the Youth competition at Finsbury Park, home of the London Mets. The Bronco (10-13) and Pony (14-16) leagues each welcomed four contending squads, making up the top eight youth teams in the BBF. In addition to the host Mets, the Halton Polecats, Cartmel Valley, Herts Baseball Club, the Bracknell Tornadoes and the Horsham Hornets survived the gruelling stretch of playoff games to reach the NBC.

 

BRONCO SEMI FINALS

 

On Saturday the tournament hosts, the London Mets, advanced to Sunday's BBF Bronco Final. By overturning a courageous Cartmel Valley comeback, the Mets batted their way to a six-inning win.

 

Later that afternoon, Herts won in extra innings against Halton after their Polecats tied the game but then stranded the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth inning. (A regulation Bronco game is six-innings long, while a Pony game is seven.)

 

Herts – as away team – will face the Mets on Sunday afternoon in a six-inning title bout.

 

Full Bronco box scores and game stats from Saturday's prelims and Sunday's finals will appear in Monday's full weekend championships report.

 

Click for more images from the 2009 National Youth Baseball Championships


2009 BRITISH NATIONAL BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP (UNDER-13s)

12 SEPTEMBER 2009, SEMI-FINAL


Herts All Stars at Halton Polecats
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Herts All Stars 0 1 5 1 1 0 7 15 11 4
Halton Polecats 1 3 0 1 1 2 2 10 11 6

Herts All Stars 15, Halton Polecats 10
Herts All Stars Halton Polecats
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Carlos Casal Jr 2b 3 1 1 0 Harry Pickup p-ss 4 4 3 0
Mikito Ariga p-c 4 2 0 0 Patrick Hansford 3b 5 0 2 2
Nickolas Martinez ss 5 1 2 1 Alex Jones c 5 0 3 0
Liam Green cf-p 5 3 3 2 Jamie Evans rf 5 1 0 0
Lewis Paterson 1b 4 3 1 2 Jonas Grader 2b 3 0 0 0
Marty Cullen Jr c-p-3b 3 1 1 1 Spencer Roberts 1b 2 0 0 0
Jamie Paterson 3b-cf 4 2 2 1 Owen Williams lf 2 1 0 0
Zachary Longboy lf 0 1 0 0 Andrew O'Brien cf 3 3 3 2
(t5) Michael Davis lf-rf 2 1 1 2 Ed Williams ss-p 3 1 0 0
Kieran Manning rf 1 0 0 0
(b3) Jonathan Compton-Weight r f
TEAM TOTALS 33 15 11 9 TEAM TOTALS 32 10 11 4

E: Nickolas Martinez, Marty Cullen Jr, Kieran Manning, Lewis Paterson, Alex Jones(2),
Jonas Grader(2), Harry Pickup, Patrick Hansford. LOB: Herts All Stars 6, Halton
Polecats 9. 2B: Nickolas Martinez(2), Liam Green(2), Lewis Paterson, Jamie Paterson,
Marty Cullen Jr, Harry Pickup. HR: Andrew O'Brien. SB: Lewis Paterson, Zachary
Longboy, Alex Jones, Jamie Evans, Harry Pickup. CS: Zachary Longboy, Carlos Casal Jr,
Jonathan Compton-Weight, Spencer Roberts.

Herts All Stars IP H R ER BB SO
Mikito Ariga 3.00 6 4 2 1 6
Liam Green W 2.33 3 4 1 6 4
Marty Cullen Jr 1.67 2 2 1 0 0
Halton Polecats            
Harry Pickup 4.00 2 7 0 6 6
Ed Williams L 2.67 9 8 3 3 2

HBP: by Liam Green (Andrew O'Brien). . . WP: Liam Green. PB: Mikito Ariga(5), Marty
Cullen Jr, Alex Jones(8). T: 2:38. A: 147.

HERTS’ SECOND BASEBALL DIAMOND STARTING TO TAKE SHAPE

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

More images of the Grovehill Ballpark Project

HERTS ELIMINATE 2 MORE TEAMS TO REACH NATIONAL FINALS

The Herts All Stars knocked out another two teams this weekend and have booked their place in the National Baseball Championships which confirms them as one of the top four teams in Britain. 

 

The Herts Baseball Little League programme has existed only 2 seasons but has managed to turn the 2009 Under-13 National Baseball Championship on its head.  The team entered this competition for the first time and was given a wild card entry in the early qualifying playoff rounds as an independent team, which meant that they needed to win six games in a row to become the British Under-13 Champions.  There was no room for error.  One wrong step and the team's first entry into the National Championships would end abruptly.

 

Against all odds the Herts All-Stars are not just surviving but are starting to put fear in their opponents.  After eliminating Horsham and Bracknell in the earlier round, Herts overcame first the Tonbridge Bobcats and then the Brentwood Bucks on Saturday at the home of the London Mets in Finsbury Park. 

 

This means that the Herts All Stars will be returning to London on 12 and 13 September for the Finals.  Also qualifying for the final are the London Mets as well as the two best Northern teams, Cartmel Valley and Halton.

 

Four games, four wins.  The Herts All-Stars need to win two more to become British Champions.  Can they continue to shock British Baseball?  The Herts Baseball Newswire will have all the latest news for you, so stay tuned.

 

More photos from the Playoffs at Finsbury Park, 22 August 2009


Tonbridge Bobcats at Herts All Stars
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Tonbridge Bobcats 0 2 2 0 1 5 5 2
Herts All Stars 5 4 5 2 0 16 8 1

Herts All Stars 16, Tonbridge Bobcats 5
Herts All Stars Tonbridge Bobcats
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Mikito Ariga 3b-p 2 1 0 1 Harry 1b-p 2 0 0 0
Carlos Casal Jr 2b 3 1 0 0 James p-ss 2 1 1 0
Liam Green p-3b 2 3 2 2 Olu cf 2 1 0 0
Lewis Paterson 1b 2 3 1 1 Sam c 3 1 2 1
Nickolas Martinez ss 2 3 2 2 Kester 2b 3 1 1 1
Jamie Paterson cf 0 2 0 1 Alex 3b 1 1 0 0
Kieran Manning c 2 2 2 4 Adam ss-p-1b 2 0 1 1
Michelle Johnson rf 2 0 0 0 Callum rf 2 0 0 0
(t5) Dan Phillips rf 0 0 0 0 Mason lf 1 0 0 0
Charlie Mayhew lf 2 1 1 1
(t5) Lewis Green lf 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 17 16 8 12 TEAM TOTALS 18 5 5 3

E: Carlos Casal Jr, Kester, Callum. LOB: Tonbridge Bobcats 3, Herts All Stars 7. 2B:
Liam Green, Nickolas Martinez, Kieran Manning, Sam(2), Kester. 3B: Lewis Paterson.
SB: Liam Green(2), Nickolas Martinez, Lewis Paterson, Mikito Ariga, Charlie Mayhew,
Sam, Kester, James. SB: Jamie Paterson.

Herts All Stars IP H R ER BB SO
Mikito Ariga W 4.00 5 5 4 3 6
Liam Green 1.00 0 0 0 2 1
Tonbridge Bobcats            
James L 2.33 4 10 8 9 2
Harry 1.00 2 2 2 3 3
Adam 0.00 2 4 1 2 0

HBP: by James (Charlie Mayhew). . . . . WP: Liam Green(2), Mikito Ariga, James(2).
PB: Kieran Manning, Sam. T: 2:00. A: 120.



Herts All Stars at Brentwood Bucks
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
Herts All Stars 5 0 1 1 0 5 12 16 1
Brentwood Bucks 0 0 1 1 1 1 4 10 5

Herts All Stars 12, Brentwood Bucks 4
Herts All Stars Brentwood Bucks
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Carlos Casal Jr 2b 4 2 2 0 Stewart 3b-rf 4 2 4 1
Mikito Ariga c 4 2 2 3 Max c-ss 3 0 1 1
Liam Green p-ss 4 3 3 2 Sebastian p-c 3 0 1 1
Lewis Paterson 1b 4 3 3 1 Tom 1b 3 1 2 0
Nickolas Martinez ss-p 4 1 2 1 Charlie ss-p 2 0 0 0
Jamie Paterson 3b 3 0 0 0 Reiss 2b 3 0 0 0
Kieran Manning lf 2 0 1 1 Jamie cf 3 0 1 0
(b4) Dan Phillips lf 2 0 1 0 Alex lf 3 0 0 0
Lewis Green cf 3 0 2 2 Dean A rf-3b 3 1 1 0
(t6) Michelle Johnson cf 1 0 0 0 Dean P rf 0 0 0 0
Jose Morillo rf 2 0 0 0
(b4) Charlie Mayhew rf 0 1 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 33 12 16 10 TEAM TOTALS 27 4 10 3

E: Liam Green, Max(3), Sebastian, Jamie. LOB: Brentwood Bucks 7, Herts All Stars 7.
2B: Liam Green, Mikito Ariga, Lewis Green, Stewart(2), Tom, Dean A. HR: Liam Green.
SB: Carlos Casal Jr(2), Kieran Manning, Charlie Mayhew, Tom, Charlie. CS: Max. SB:
Jamie Paterson, Max.

Herts All Stars IP H R ER BB SO
Liam Green W 3.00 3 1 1 1 7
Nickolas Martinez 3.00 7 3 1 0 3
Brentwood Bucks            
Charlie 3.00 5 6 2 1 2
Sebastian L 2.33 11 6 6 0 3

WP: Liam Green. PB: Mikito Ariga(3), Sebastian. T: 2:00. A: 101.

HERTS ALL STARS SHOCK THE SOUTH

The Baseball gods were smiling brightly down on ‘the Hill’ in anticipation for the Herts Little League’s first ever appearance in the BBF Southern playoffs. It was to be a monumental task for the Herts All Stars, in only their second year in existence. What lay in wait for Herts were two very established teams with a celebrated history of success in British Baseball.  Bracknell and Horsham.

The Herts All Stars, hand picked from the Herts Little League, had been training for the past two months in preparation for this very day. With the focus of a Falcon, the eyes of an Eagle, the hearts of a Hawk and the resolve of a Raptor, the Herts All Stars arrived with a quiet confidence rarely witnessed in a second year team about to play the most important games of there lives.

Game 1 vs Bracknell:

With the pitching restrictions for Bronco level Baseball in place, Herts Manager, Marty Cullen put together an eclectic rotation of 4 pitchers, hoping to get the job done while saving some arms for game 2. Would the tactic pay off?

Nickolas Martinez started off strong, striking out 2 before leaving a base runner on for reliever Mikito Ariga, who struck out the first batter he faced to retire the side.

Herts went down in order in the bottom of the inning to Bracknell’s hard throwing ace, Brendan Harsan.

Ariga continued his dominance into the 2nd, cutting down Brackell in order.

Then………Lighting struck and ‘the Hill’ erupted.

In the bottom of the 2nd, Herts catcher, Kieran Manning delivered a 2 run single with 1 out to open up the scoring and take a lead that would prove crucial.

In the bottom of the 3rd, with 2 on and 2 out, up stepped Nick Martinez. With a 2-1 count, Martinez got hold of a Harsan fastball and deposited over the 220 ft centerfield fence, giving Herts a 5-0 lead. Martinez said of his blast, “I was just trying to get a pitch to drive up the middle. Luckily I hit it well and it got out there.”

Bracknell never gave up. They struck back immediately scoring 4 runs over the next 2 innings.

But Herts weren’t done yet. With some aggressive base running and good eyes at the plate, Herts padded their lead going into the final inning. These runs would prove critical as Bracknell jumped on relievers Liam Green and Carlos Casal for 3 more runs in the top of the 6th, before grounding out to end the game, falling to the Herts All Stars 9-7.

It was, by any standard an amazing game that could have gone either way.

It went Herts way.

As he lead his team away from the field and throngs of reporters, Manager Marty Cullen only had this to say: “I’m very pleased with the outcome, but we still have another game to play, so if you’ll excuse me……”

And so with the Herts All Stars off talking strategy, Bracknell set out to salvage their campaign against the hotly tipped Horsham All Stars. A mountain that would prove a little too steep to climb. Bracknell, weary from their epic battle with Herts, couldn’t quite put it together against the dominant Horsham and fell via the mercy rule after 5 tough innings.

In a round robin format, the team that loses 2 games is automatically eliminated. That leaves 1 game with it all to play for between the remaining 2 teams. On this day……it would be Herts and Horsham. Horsham would be the home team in this, the final game of the day, and their starting line-up read like the who’s who of British youth Baseball with no less than 7 GB players, 2 of whom recently returned from the European qualifiers for the Little League World Series. This alone confirmed their status as the wildcard favourites over the 2nd year Herts All Stars. Could Herts pull off the upset of the year, or would lightning strike again for Horsham?


Bracknell Blazers at Herts All-Stars
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
Bracknell Blazers 0 0 0 1 3 3 7 5 1
Herts All-Stars 0 2 3 1 3 0 9 3 3

Herts All-Stars 9, Bracknell Blazers 7
Herts All-Stars Bracknell Blazers
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Mikito Ariga p-ss-c-3b 3 0 0 0 Alex Price c-ss 3 2 2 0
Jamie Paterson cf 3 0 0 0 Sian Wiggington 1b-p-3b 3 1 0 0
Liam Green 3b-p 1 2 0 0 Brendan Harsan p-3b-1b 2 1 0 0
Lewis Paterson 1b 1 3 0 0 Chloe Wiggington ss 3 1 2 1
Nickolas Martinez ss-p 1 3 1 3 Nathaniel Leff 2b 4 1 1 0
Lewis Green rf 2 0 0 0 Adam Hopkins cf-3b-p 0 0 0 0
(t6) Charlie Mayhew rf 0 0 0 0 Lee Coster 3b 1 0 0 0
Kieran Manning c 1 0 1 2 (t4) Millie H. cf 2 0 0 0
(t3) Dan Phillips c-2b 1 0 0 0 Ryan Dale lf 2 0 0 0
Carlos Casal Jr 2b-p 3 1 1 0 (b4) Oliver Graib lf 0 1 0 0
Alex Ringrose lf 1 0 0 0 Jack Eve rf 3 0 0 0
(t6) Jonathan Compton-Weight l f
TEAM TOTALS 17 9 3 5 TEAM TOTALS 23 7 5 1

E: Mikito Ariga, Carlos Casal Jr, Dan Phillips, Chloe Wiggington. LOB: Herts
All-Stars 2, Bracknell Blazers 7. 2B: Carlos Casal Jr, Chloe Wiggington. HR: Nickolas
Martinez. SB: Liam Green, Adam Hopkins(3), Nickolas Martinez(2), Brendan Harsan, Sian
Wiggington, Nathaniel Leff, Oliver Graib. CS: Lewis Green.

Herts All-Stars IP H R ER BB SO
Mikito Ariga W 4.33 3 4 0 5 12
Nickolas Martinez 0.67 1 0 0 0 2
Liam Green 0.67 0 2 0 2 2
Carlos Casal Jr 0.33 1 1 1 1 0
Bracknell Blazers            
Brendan Harsan L 4.00 3 6 2 4 7
Adam Hopkins 1.00 0 0 0 2 1
Sian Wiggington 0.00 0 3 1 2 0

HBP: by Sian Wiggington (Liam Green). . WP: Mikito Ariga(2), Carlos Casal Jr, Brendan
Harsan(3), Adam Hopkins(2). PB: Dan Phillips(8), Kieran Manning, Alex Price(6). T: 2:00. A: 110.


Game 3  

Horsham took the field, lead by flame throwing GB starter Miguel Rodriguez (known by some as     M-Rod ). The tension mounted and the crowd grew silent as UBUA legend Darrin Muller yelled “Play ball!”

The first 2 Herts batters reached base safely and with no one out, up stepped slugger Liam Green. With runners on 2nd and 3rd and a 2-0 count, Liam connected with a fastball, launching it 60 feet passed the 220ft left centerfield wall for the longest homerun in Herts Little League history. Stunned silence fell over the Horsham fans as they watched Herts take an improbable 3-0 lead in the top of the first.

Green took to the mound and retired Horsham in order in the bottom of the inning. Herts, after threatening to add more runs, eventually followed suit and were retired, leaving 2 runners on base in the top of the 2nd.

In the bottom of the inning however, the Horsham bats came alive and scored 4 runs, including a 2 run double by GB All Star Tyler Burnie. Carrying the momentum, M-Rod  sat  Herts down, leaving 2 more runners on base before helping his own cause with a 2 run single in the bottom of the 3rd.

Herts, down but far from out, dug deep and clawed back a run in the 4th and 1 in the 5th,while game 1 hero Nick Martinez took the mound and shut down Horsham’s mounting offense allowing only 1 baserunner and striking out 4 over these 2 frames.

Now or never.

Down 6 – 5 going into the final inning, a final war cry could be heard from the Herts bench, as Manager, Marty Cullen rallied his troops for one more push. “Now or never” he said. “You deserve this. Go out there and get it”. 

The All Stars responded.

They kicked and scratched for 4 runs with some aggressive baserunning and timely hitting off hard throwing GB reliever, Callum Vinall and with only 10 minutes of regulation play remaining, Herts took a 9-6 lead into the bottom of the 6th.

Martinez, with only 19 pitches left (based on BBF regulations) would have to come up with something special……and fast! He did…. Inducing  2 ground ball outs with just 5 pitches before walking a batter with 6 pitches.

8 pitches left. 3 minutes left. If the next batter isn’t retired, the game ends (according to BBF rules) with the score from the previous full inning. In other words…..Horsham wins.

Up steps MVP Tyler Burnie who quickly and expertly works the count full and proceeds to foul off 3 more pitches using up Martinez’s pitch count and prompting an announcement by umpire Muller. “Last Batter!” he shouted.

30 seconds left.

Martinez glances toward his manager. Glances toward his family. Takes a deep breath. Sets. Fires……

Strike 3!!!!! HERTS WIN!!!!

The crowd erupts. The Herts bench erupts,  and the All Stars celebrate their improbable upset in front of a stunned Horsham bench.

In the post game press conference, Horsham manager Rob Burnie said, “Our hats go off to Herts. They have a great program and they play the game right. They proved that today.” When asked about the upset, Herts manager Marty Cullen had this to say; “I couldn’t be more proud of these kids. Horsham are a great team, maybe the best in the country, but these kids don’t quit and it really paid off. They showed a lot of heart today.”

Next week the Herts All Stars make the trip south to the hostile waters of Finsbury Park. To reach the National Championships, Herts will have to win 2 more games. Do they have what it takes?

Stay tuned…………….

More photos from the BBF Wild Card Playoffs


Herts All-Stars at Horsham All-Stars
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
Herts All-Stars 3 0 0 1 1 4 9 3 2
Horsham All-Stars 0 4 2 0 0 0 6 2 3

Herts All-Stars 9, Horsham All-Stars 6
Herts All-Stars Horsham All-Stars
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Carlos Casal Jr 2b 4 2 0 0 Tyler Burnie cf 3 0 1 2
Jonathan Compton-Weight 1b 2 2 0 1 Dean Jacob ss 3 0 0 0
Liam Green p-ss 4 2 2 4 Adam Lamport lf 2 1 0 0
Lewis Paterson 3b 3 1 0 0 (t4) Dean Coe lf 1 0 0 0
Nickolas Martinez ss-p 3 0 0 0 Callum Vinall p-3b 2 1 0 0
Mikito Ariga c 2 0 0 0 Miguel Rodriguez p-3b 3 1 1 2
Jamie Paterson cf 4 0 0 0 Harry Law 2b 1 1 0 0
Lewis Green lf 0 0 0 0 (t4) George Penfold rf-2b 1 0 0 0
(t4) Alex Ringrose lf 0 1 0 0 Tim Moore c 2 1 0 0
Charlie Mayhew rf 2 0 1 0 Will Chase 1b 2 0 0 0
(t5) Dan Phillips rf 0 1 0 0 (t4) Ben Chambers rf-1b 1 0 0 0
Callum Lewis rf 1 1 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 24 9 3 5 TEAM TOTALS 22 6 2 4

E: Carlos Casal Jr, Jamie Paterson, Harry Law, Callum Vinall, George Penfold. LOB:
Horsham All-Stars 4, Herts All-Stars 7. 2B: Nickolas Martinez. HR: Liam Green. SB:
Mikito Ariga(2), Carlos Casal Jr, Lewis Paterson, Liam Green, Charlie Mayhew,
Jonathan Compton-Weight, Callum Vinall, Harry Law, Miguel Rodriguez.

Herts All-Stars IP H R ER BB SO
Nickolas Martinez W 4.00 1 0 0 2 7
Liam Green 2.00 1 6 4 4 5
Horsham All-Stars            
Miguel Rodriguez 4.00 2 4 1 5 4
Callum Vinall L 2.00 1 5 2 5 1

WP: Liam Green(5), Nickolas Martinez, Callum Vinall(3), Miguel Rodriguez(2). PB:
Mikito Ariga, Tim Moore(4). T: 2:00. A: 110.

POSTSEASON BASEBALL THIS SATURDAY IN HERTS

We are officially into the 2009 postseason of British Baseball’s youth leagues.  The Wild Card round of the Playoffs for the Under-13 age group will take place on Saturday, 15 August.  It will be held at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead, which is the home of Herts Baseball Club.

 

The Wild Card Playoffs will involve three teams representing the three independent baseball leagues of Bracknell, Horsham and the hosts Herts.  The best players of these three regions will go head-to-head for a place in the next Round of the Playoffs.

 

Last time these three teams met was in September 2008 and it was once again in Hertfordshire as part of the 2008 Herts Futures Tournament.  Herts came out on top against Bracknell winning 9-5 in the group stages but then went on to lose to Horsham in the Final of the tournament in a dramatic 4-3 ballgame.

 

This Wild Card Playoff will have a round-robin format with all three teams playing against each other.  In the first game of the day at 10:30am the hosts, Herts will make their debut in the British National competitions against Bracknell.  This will be followed by Bracknell vs Horsham at 12:45pm and the final game between Horsham and Herts at 3pm.

 

The winner will go through to the next round of the Playoffs on 22 August at Finsbury Park, where London, Brentwood and Kent will also enter the postseason playoffs to determine who will go through to the National Baseball Championship on 12-13 September.

 

Baseball enthusiasts can attend this Saturday’s Playoffs at Grovehill Ballpark, Hemel hempstead (click for directions).  Admission is free and apart from postseason baseball fans can enjoy a hot dog and other snacks and drinks offered at the venue.

YANKEES ARE CHAMPIONS AFTER REMARKABLE COME FROM BEHIND WIN

The Herts Yankees came back from the dead to become Herts Baseball Little League Champions for a second year in a row.  Trailing 4-0 going into the sixth inning they pulled off an amazing come back to beat the Blue Jays 6-4.

 

The Yankees may have finished ahead of everyone else in the regular season, but going into the Final, the Blue Jays were the team with all the momentum.  They were the hottest team in the league winning 5 out of their last 6 games and an upset was on the cards.  Yankees’ starter, Marty Cullen Jr, got the game under way retiring the first three batters in order.  Starting for the Blue Jays was Nickolas Martinez who responded with 3 strikeouts in the bottom of the first. 

 

In the top of the second the Blue Jays opened the score when Kieran Manning tripled and was driven in by Storm Frisby.  Frisby was one of the outstanding performers of the day with two clutch hits driving in two key runs for the Jays.  Lewis Paterson (2-4), Zack Longboy (2-4), Kieran Manning (2-3) and Jake Strange (1-2) were the other big hitters as the Blue Jays took a 4-0 lead. 

 

At the same time Martinez was putting up zeros inning-after-inning.  He pitched 5 scoreless innings striking out 10 and allowing only 1 hit – an absolutely amazing performance under pressure.

 

The Yankees were struggling to put together any kind of offensive threat but they were taking Martinez deep into the count.  By the end of the 5th he had thrown 76 pitches (51 strikes – 25 balls) and had to be taken out of the game.

 

The Yankees were running out of time trailing 4-0 and needing a miracle.  But they came out swinging their bats hard in the bottom of the sixth.  A combination of walks and timely hits produced the most incredible of come backs.  Both Declan Carlean and Lewis Green hit RBI singles and Robert Binns delivered the knockout punch with a triple to drive in 2 more runs.  The Yankees scored 6 runs in that inning.  This meant that the Blue Jays needed to score 2 in the 7th and final inning to stay in the game.  All the pressure was on Yankees’ pitcher Marty Cullen and he kept his nerve closing the game in style with a groundout and 2 strikeouts.  Yankees Centerfielder, Lewis Green was voted as the MVP of the 2009 Championship Game.

 

After the game Blue Jays’ Managers, Arnie Longboy and Jeff Witter, had a message for their players: ”It has been a pleasure working with such a dedicated group of players.  All season the players have worked so hard and it has been very satisfying to see them grow as players”. 

 

That was a heartbreaking loss for the Blue Jays, many of whom were in tears after the game.  In every game there must be winners and losers but in this case both teams can be very proud of themselves.  They produced a thrilling baseball game of the highest quality for the fans who had packed the spectator areas at Grovehill Ballpark.  They certainly showed that the future is bright for Herts Baseball Club.

 

Herts Yankees Manager, Marty Cullen, said:  “I may have been acting as the stand-in Yankees Manager today, but as the Commissioner of the Herts Little League, I feel that this is more than just about the Yankees winning the title.  All the teams deserve credit and now that the Herts Little League season has ended it is time for all of our Herts Little League players to turn their attention to the upcoming National Championship, which is an opportunity for our club to show what Herts is about to the rest of Britain.”

 

Red Sox survive Cubs’ late rally to win Bronze (Read more).

 

More images from the Herts Baseball Little League Finals.


 

Herts Blue Jays at Herts Yankees
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Herts Blue Jays 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 4 9 3
Herts Yankees 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 6 4 3

Herts Yankees 6, Herts Blue Jays 4
Herts Yankees Herts Blue Jays
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Lewis Green cf 4 1 1 1 Aaron Witter 2b 4 0 0 0
Dan Phillips 2b 3 0 0 0 Zachary Longboy ss-p 4 0 2 0
Marty Cullen Jr p 3 0 1 0 Nickolas Martinez p-ss 4 0 0 0
Jamie Paterson ss 2 1 0 0 Lewis Paterson 1b 4 1 2 0
Charlie Mayhew 1b 2 0 0 0 Kieran Manning c 3 2 2 1
Carlos Casal Jr c 1 1 0 0 George Beatty 3b 3 0 0 0
Alex Ringrose 3b 3 1 0 1 Storm Frisby lf 4 0 2 2
Robert Binns rf 3 1 1 2 Stella Dixon cf 3 1 0 0
Declan Carlean lf 2 1 1 1 Jacob Strange rf 2 0 1 0
TEAM TOTALS 23 6 4 5 TEAM TOTALS 31 4 9 3

E: Marty Cullen Jr, Jamie Paterson, Carlos Casal Jr, Lewis Paterson, George Beatty,
Stella Dixon. DP: Herts Yankees 1. LOB: Herts Yankees 5, Herts Blue Jays 9. 2B: Marty
Cullen Jr, Lewis Paterson, Kieran Manning, Zachary Longboy. 3B: Robert Binns, Kieran
Manning.

Herts Yankees IP H R ER BB SO
Marty Cullen Jr W 7.00 9 4 3 2 9
Herts Blue Jays            
Nickolas Martinez 5.00 1 0 0 2 10
Zachary Longboy L 1.00 3 6 5 3 1

HBP: by Marty Cullen Jr (Kieran Manning). . . T: 1:55. A: 89.

RED SOX SURVIVE CUBS’ LATE RALLY TO WIN BRONZE

In a day of incredible come backs, the Cubs almost pulled off a classic come-from-behind win of their own.  Their brave effort came just short as they went down 6-5 to the Red Sox in the Bronze Medal Game.

 

During the regular season the two teams were very equally-matched having won 3 games each, so this was their seventh meeting of the season and was the equivalent of a sudden-death Game 7 in a best-of-7 series.

 

The Sox jumped in front 5-0 in the first inning.  4 of those runs came after 2 RBI doubles from both Liam Green and rookie Mariana Casal playing only her third game in the Little League.  The Cubs were refusing to throw in the towel, and started chipping away at the Red Sox’ lead.  Keanu Wood (1-1) and Eddie Smith (0-1) may have been the youngest members of the Cubs, but they delivered giant blows driving in 3 runs.  That brought the Cubs to within 3 runs going into the final inning.

 

Red Sox starting pitcher, Carlos Casal Jr, had allowed only 2 hits up to that point, but in the final inning the Cubs managed to find other ways to get on base.  Aggressive base-running forced the Red Sox to commit several errors which allowed 2 runs in and made the score 6-5.  The Cubs’ were somehow staying alive with two outs.  They even managed to put the tying run in scoring position, but their luck ran out right at the end.  The Red Sox held on to clinch the bronze medal sparking wild celebrations with champagne cork flying high up in the air.  Even the Cubs joined in the celebrations with both teams ending up completely drenched.

 

Red Sox Catcher, Michael Davis, was voted as the MVP of the 2009 Bronze Medal Game.

 

Red Sox Managers, Nick White and Carlos Casal, praised their players: “Everyone worked as a team and that’s how baseball games are won”.  Kal Dimitrov, standing in as Cubs Manager for Atso Ariga, was positive despite the defeat: “The Cubs should be very proud.  They have had a fantastic season and showed great resilience fighting right to the end.”

 

Yankees are Champions After Remarkable Come From Behind Win (Read more)

 

More images from the Herts Baseball Little League Finals.


 

Herts Cubs at Herts Red Sox
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 R H E
Herts Cubs 0 1 2 2 5 2 2
Herts Red Sox 5 1 0 0 6 3 1

Herts Red Sox 6, Herts Cubs 5
Herts Red Sox Herts Cubs
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Adam White 2b 1 1 0 0 Nicolas Carlean cf 3 0 0 0
Michael Davis c 0 1 0 1 Drew Mayhew 1b 1 2 0 0
Carlos Casal Jr p 1 1 0 0 Alex Ringrose p 1 2 0 0
Liam Green 1b 2 1 2 2 Adam Smith c 2 1 0 0
Theo Longboy 3b 1 1 0 0 Declan Carlean ss 3 0 1 0
Connor Caffrey ss 0 0 0 0 Mitchell Procter 2b 1 0 0 0
Mariana Casal rf 2 0 1 2 Eddie Smith lf 1 0 0 1
Jacob Strange lf 0 1 0 0 Keanu Wood 3b 1 0 1 2
Alexander Deacon cf 2 0 0 0 Bai Frisby rf 2 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 9 6 3 5 TEAM TOTALS 15 5 2 3

E: Carlos Casal Jr, Drew Mayhew, Declan Carlean. LOB: Herts Red Sox 8, Herts Cubs 8.
2B: Liam Green, Mariana Casal, Declan Carlean.

Herts Red Sox IP H R ER BB SO
Carlos Casal Jr W 4.00 2 5 3 8 6
Herts Cubs            
Alex Ringrose L 1.33 3 6 4 9 3

HBP: by Carlos Casal Jr (Keanu Wood). , by Carlos Casal Jr (Alex Ringrose). T: 1:35.
A: 89.