Herts Hawks v. Essex Archers, Sunday June 20th
By Beat Reporter, Simon Langton
The Hawks suffered another heavy defeat last Sunday with Essex claiming their second victory over them this year. With a 25-9 finish, it is also the second time this season that Essex have beaten the Hawks via the 10 run slaughter rule.
Defensively the Hawks once again started badly, conceding 13 runs in three innings. With things clearly not going their way, manager Greg Bochan was forced to take out the starting pitcher, Mark Hoffman, and take to the hill himself despite suffering with a broken finger. Bochan was able to give the Hawks a chance, giving up just 4 runs in the middle innings. But Essex’s seventh inning 8-run rally — firstly off Bochan and then his replacement on the mound Simon Langton — pretty much ended the Hawks hopes of a comeback as the total reached 25.
At the plate, the Hawks were solid, picking up a few runs here and there to reach a respectable total of 9. Hunter Devine led the offense with 4 hits, 3 runs and an RBI. This was aided by Perrie Sherman’s 3 RBI game and the manager Greg Bochan, who put his broken finger to the back of his mind to drive in and score couple of runs. The offensive effort, however, was not enough to make up for the slow start offensively, and the 10 run slaughter rule came into effect at the end of the seventh with the final score at Essex 25-9 Herts Hawks.