There was a double celebration for Herts Baseball Club as its Under-14 and Under-12 teams secured a place in this Saturday’s National Baseball Championship (NBC) semi-final.
UNDER-14
Herts Cardinals 19 Brentwood Bucks 8 (click to view box scores)
Three teams went into the U14 Wild Card Playoff contest which was held at Grovehill Ballpark in Hertfordshire. The winner was to be decided in a round-robin tournament format. First up were the Herts Cardinals and the Brentwood Junior Bucks. Shane Richards started on the mound for Herts and he produced a solid performance pitching three no-hit innings and striking out 5. There was an initial period of pitcher and catcher trying to get into a rhythm and Brentwood took advantage of a number of walks. Going into the fourth inning Herts had a 10-6 lead helped by a 3-run home run by Shane Richards who went 4-for-4 with 5 RBI in the game.
Shane Richards reached his regulation pitch limit and he was relieved in the fourth inning by Mikey Sylvester who pitched excellent two innings allowing only 1 run on 1 hit and striking out 5. That enabled Herts to build a commanding lead and win the game 19-8. Sylvester’s pitching performance was matched by his batting as he went 3-for-3 which included a double, 4 runs and 2 stolen bases. Ben Hitch (2-3, RBI), Ryan Pocock (1-1, R) and Kento Sasaki (1-3, 2RBI) also had a good game at the plate.
Brentwood Bucks 24 Essex Redbacks 22 (click to view box scores)
The Essex Redbacks went into this Wild Card Playoff as the favourites. They had a comfortable 20-16 lead going into the final inning of the game. Brentwood needed an epic comeback and that’s exactly what they produced. They drove in 8 runs to turn the game on its head and go into the bottom of the final inning with a 4-run lead. Alfie Denwood (4-5, 4RBI), Matt Law (2-4, RBI) and Ethan Brown (3-3, RBI) stood out in the Bucks batting lineup.
The pressure was now on the Essex Redbacks to come from behind. Brentwood recorded two quick outs, but the Redbacks kept going. They scored two runs, but at the end it was not enough as a diving catch by Elliot Burke in centerfield ended the game with a 24-22 win for the Bucks.
Essex Redbacks 13 Herts Cardinals 14 (click to view box scores)
Herts Cardinals knew that a win in the final game against the Redbacks would secure a place in the National Championships Semi-Final for the first time since 2011. The Redbacks were not out of it. A win with a sufficient run-difference would be enough for them.
Kento Sasaki was Herts’ starting pitcher and he was on fire from the very first pitch recording 3 strikeouts in the first inning. Another two Redbacks struck-out in the second inning, but Sasaki seemed to be troubled by his arm. Manager Jake Caress decided to take him out of the game as a precaution. Theo Longboy took Sasaki’s place on the mound in the pressure-cooker situation of a deciding playoff game. The main problem for most of the teams was walking too many batters, but Theo Longboy remained composed all the way to the end of the game. She got into a pitching groove and even added gentle grunting to her pitching delivery, something which we would expect to hear on the tennis courts of Wimbledon or the US Open. It certainly worked. Perhaps it will become her trademark delivery.
Going into the final inning the Redbacks had a 13-10 lead. They struck out the first two Herts batters. Ryan Pocock singled and was driven home by Theo Longboy’s base-hit. With runners on first and second, up stepped Shane Richards to drive the ball deep down the right field line for a walk-off 3-run home run to the delight of the Herts fans. That was the second home run of the day for the Herts Cardinals. Mikey Sylvester hit a 2-run bomb in the fourth inning.
They can now look forward to a semi-final clash against the reigning national champions and top seeds, the London Mets, this Saturday, 13 September at Farnham Park in Slough (see game schedule below).
UNDER-12
(photo by Vicky Sinclair)
The BBF has added the Under-12 division to the National Baseball Championships for the first tiem this year. LYBL, London Mets and London Sports have already booked their semi-final places. There was one last place available and the Herts All Stars and Brentwood Bucks met in a double-header to determine who will take it.
24 hours before these vital games, Herts received a blow with ace pitcher Aaron Witter out of the game due to illness. The rest of the team knuckled down and produced an excellent performance. They clinched a 12-5 win in the first game followed by a 13-6 win in the second. This sends them into the U12 Semi-Final where they will face the top seed, LYBL Bulldogs.
(photo by Vicky Sinclair)
NATIONAL BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS GAMES SCHEDULE
The outcome of the Wild Card Playoffs means that for the first time Herts will be represented in all three age divisions (U17, U14 and U12) of the National Youth Baseball Championships on Saturday, 13 September.
The semi-finals and finals in all three age groups will be played at Farnham Park in Slough over two days as follows:
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Saturday, 13 September |
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|
Time |
Division |
Away |
Home |
Notes |
|
10.00am |
Under 17 |
Tornadoes/Redbacks |
London Sports |
U17 Wild card |
|
1.00pm |
Under 17 |
London Mets |
Herts Harriers |
U17 Semi-final 1 |
|
4.00pm |
Under 17 |
Wildcard winner |
LYBL Bulldogs |
U17 Semi-final 2 |
|
10.30am |
Under 14 |
London Sports |
LYBL Bulldogs |
U14 Semi-final 1 |
|
1.30pm |
Under 14 |
Herts Cardinals |
London Mets |
U14 Semi-final 2 |
|
11.00am |
Under 12 |
London Sports |
London Mets |
U12 Semi-final 1 |
|
2.00pm |
Under 12 |
Herts All Stars |
LYBL Bulldogs |
U12 Semi-final 2 |
|
Sunday, 14 September |
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|
Time |
Division |
Away |
Home |
Notes |
|
10.00am |
Under 17 |
Loser SF (lower seed) |
Loser SF (higher seed) |
U17 3rd/4th Game |
|
1.00pm |
Under 17 |
Winner SF (lower seed) |
Winner SF (higher seed) |
U17 YNBC Final |
|
10.30am |
Under 14 |
Loser SF (lower seed) |
Loser SF (higher seed) |
U14 3rd/4th Game |
|
1.30pm |
Under 14 |
Winner SF (lower seed) |
Winner SF (higher seed) |
U17 YNBC Final |
|
11.00am |
Under 12 |
Loser SF (lower seed) |
Loser SF (higher seed) |
U12 3rd/4th Game |
|
2.00pm |
Under 12 |
Winner SF (lower seed) |
Winner SF (higher seed) |
U12 YNBC Final |