Herts Falcons will face Harlow Nationals in the NBL semi-final

Grovehill Ballpark saw a good crowd for the NBL playoffs. The place would have gone mad if the Herts Falcons were in action (photo by Richard Lee richardleephotography.org)

On Sunday the last two semi-finalists in the National Baseball League were decided at Grovehill Ballpark. The reigning champions, Harlow Nationals, are through after a 17-4 win over the Bracknell Blazers. Matt Gilbert was the winning pitcher. Slugger Edwin Alcantara loosened up for Farnham Park with a home run.

Southampton Mustangs had a real fight on their hands against the Essex Arrows but eventually secured a 10-6 win. Tomas Zondra was the winning pitcher.

The results mean that the Herts Falcons will face the Harlow Nationals in the semi-final in a repeat of last year’s NBL Final. Southampton will face the London Mets in the other semi-final.

Both games will be played at Farnham Park on Saturday, 14 September. The Herts Falcons vs Harlow Nationals game will be the second game of the day with an estimated start of 2:30pm. Mustangs and Mets start the day at 10:00am. Judging by the amazing race in the regular season these are expected to be thrilling encounters.

Despite Herts Falcons finishing in first place and being the top seed in the NBL, most of the experts have tipped the London Mets as the favourites to lift the NBL championship trophy.