Posted on behalf of Newswire Correspondent Andy Cornish.
Sunday’s hosts – the London Metros – have papered their dressing room/toilet with inspirational quotes from MLB ‘Hall of Famers’. It was these winning words that greeted the Falcons as they arrived at Finsbury Park for a two-game set against their division rivals. The Metros stood firmly in second place with a 5-3 record… trailing the Falcons by a margin in the AAA standings, but not by enough for the Herts first team to harbour premature fantasies of a postseason berth.
So, the Falcons walked humbly into Finsbury Park knowing that these games would prove contentious. A split would have been enough. Metros Field was slightly sheltered from the elements, but powerful winds were still a factor and an early gust claimed a casualty before the game was even underway! R.I.P. Gazebo, our dear travelling ‘dugout’.
The games started in good fashion as Herts gained an early 1-0 lead in the 1st inning – a Metros balk with a runner on third base. That early mistake aside, the game quickly developed into a pitcher’s duel which persisted for the rest of the game. Due to Falcons errors in the field, London managed to battle back to a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the 2nd.
With a combination of hits and steals by the top of the order (Dan Kerry connecting for a monster double; 1 RBI) the Falcons managed to ground out a 4-2 advantage going into the bottom of the 5th. In a bizarre twist of fate, the Metros scored 4 runs and hit their way into the lead with a brace of doubles, and a few singles and errors to boot. By the end of the 6th inning the game was locked at four runs apiece, and this showdown seemed destined for extra innings as the teams brawled for the W.
The Metros brought in their closer as the Falcons sent newcomer Jim Hyde to the plate. Recently promoted from within the organisation, Jim worked a base on balls, took advantage of a wild pitch to reach second base, stole third and scored the go-ahead run on an error. This was only the start of a rally, however, with Nic Goetz and Greg ‘The Motion’ Bochan (1-1 with a 2B) both scoring.
Now Darrin Ward had to close out the game. With the first two balls batted straight to Nic Goetz at shortstop for groundouts, the tension was building. The Metros managed to get two more runs on two singles and two walks before the final out was made… but shaky-or-not the Falcons earned the win by a score of 9-8. Ward chalked up his fifth win of the season.
Both the players and the growing Finsbury Park audience needed to draw a breathe, with the sun beating down and the wind continually swirling. But after a short rest Game Two started as the Falcons wished, with a five run top of the 1st. The score stayed at 5-0, starting pitcher Goetz allowing only one hit going into the bottom of the 3rd. But in this half an inning, the Metros managed to gain the momentum scoring five runs on only two hits.
It was a new ballgame. The Falcons managed a small advantage in the 5th when – with Marty Cullen on base – Darrin Ward hit a double, scoring the run before being tagged out trying to aggressively turn his hit into a triple. The Falcons summarily surrendered their lead when the Metros scored two more runs on errors.
At the top of the 6th the game changed hands once again. Bochan lead off the inning with a walk, reached second base on a wild pitch and was hit in on a double by Andy Cornish. The Metros looked a completely different side as the Falcons beat out a 6-run inning. Jason Greenberg and Andy Cornish successfully completed a double steal in this inning (two in the game).
In the bottom of the inning, London once again managed to score several runs on only one hit. 4 Metros crossed home plate in the 6th, pulling the game to within one run as the contest entered its final frame. With the smell of victory floating in the humid air above the diamond – and aided by two London pitching changes during the inning – the Falcons went full-throttle scoring seven times and snagging an eight-run lead.
Despite faint whiffs of a comeback in the bottom of the 7th, the Falcons held on in this massive 19-14 slugfest and secured their 14th victory of the season. Manager and catcher Greenberg said after the game that “these victories are important and critical, and the Falcons have earned some R&R – it’s time to rest our arms in preparation for the tough games coming up in a few weeks’ time.” The team came together, did the customary cheer with extraordinary gusto, and left London with the belief and confidence that this winning streak would continue into July.
GAME ONE
| Herts Falcons at London Metros | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score By Innings | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
| Herts Falcons | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 14 | 3 |
| London Metros | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 3 |
| Herts Falcons 9, London Metros 8 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herts Falcons | London Metros | ||||||||
| ab | r | h | bi | ab | r | h | bi | ||
| Andy Cornish 3b | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | Player 1 p | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Jason Greenberg c | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | Player 2 c | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Dan Kerry cf | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | Player 3 1b | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Kimiyoshi Saionji 2b | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | Player 4 2b | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Marty Cullen 1b | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Player 5 3b | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Jim Hyde dh | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Player 6 ss | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Lee Manning rf | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Player 7 lf | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Nick Goetz ss | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | Player 8 cf | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Aspi Dimitrov lf | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Player 9 rf | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| (t7) Greg Bochan lf | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Darrin Ward p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| TEAM TOTALS | 35 | 9 | 14 | 5 | TEAM TOTALS | 31 | 8 | 10 | 6 |
| E: Nick Goetz(2), Jason Greenberg, Player 2, Player 5, Player 6. DP: Herts Falcons 1. LOB: London Metros 4, Herts Falcons 9. 2B: Nick Goetz, Dan Kerry, Greg Bochan, Player 7(2), Player 1. SB: Kimiyoshi Saionji(2), Andy Cornish(2), Jason Greenberg(2), Jim Hyde, Dan Kerry, Greg Bochan, Player 3(2), Player 6. CS: Lee Manning. |
| Herts Falcons | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| Darrin Ward W | 7.00 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| London Metros | ||||||
| Player 1 L | 7.00 | 14 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 6 |
WP: Darrin Ward, Player 1(2). PB: Player 2(2). Balk: Player 1. T: 2:30. A: 78.
GAME TWO
| Herts Falcons at London Metros | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score By Innings | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
| Herts Falcons | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 19 | 10 | 4 |
| London Metros | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 14 | 9 | 10 |
| Herts Falcons 19, London Metros 14 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herts Falcons | London Metros | ||||||||
| ab | r | h | bi | ab | r | h | bi | ||
| Andy Cornish 3b-cf | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | Strezelski 3b | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jason Greenberg c | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | Dujardin lf | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Dan Kerry cf-p | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | Byok cf | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| (b7) Aspi Dimitrov pr-p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | (t5) Sub 1 cf | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Kimiyoshi Saionji 2b | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | Rogalinski rf | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Marty Cullen 1b | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | Stabe 1b | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Jim Hyde lf | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | (t6) Alex Phipps 1b-rf | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Lee Manning ss | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | Zeng c | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Darrin Ward dh | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | Ferguson 2b | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| (t6) Nick Goetz p-3b | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Sproule ss | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Greg Bochan rf | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | Morris p | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| TEAM TOTALS | 37 | 19 | 10 | 9 | TEAM TOTALS | 31 | 14 | 9 | 13 |
| E: Andy Cornish(3), Nick Goetz, Morris(2), Sproule(2), Ferguson(2), Rogalinski, Strezelski, Zeng, Alex Phipps. LOB: London Metros 8, Herts Falcons 9. 2B: Andy Cornish, Lee Manning, Darrin Ward. SB: Andy Cornish(3), Jason Greenberg(3), Kimiyoshi Saionji, Nick Goetz, Dan Kerry, Lee Manning, Morris, Sproule. CS: Lee Manning, Zeng. S: Greg Bochan. |
| Herts Falcons | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| Nick Goetz | 4.33 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Dan Kerry W | 1.67 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 2 |
| Aspi Dimitrov | 1.00 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| London Metros | ||||||
| Morris L | 7.00 | 10 | 19 | 7 | 11 | 3 |
HBP: by Dan Kerry (Rogalinski). . WP: Dan Kerry, Morris(6). PB: Zeng(4). T: 2:30. A: 78.