The Herts Ravens extended their winning streak in Single-A to 11 games, with a dominant sweep of their double-header against the Herts Eagles.
Eddie Wang took the pitching win in Game 1, striking out 3 in a complete game effort. He was only denied a shutout in the final stages. The offense gave him consistent backing, with Matt Jackson going 2-for-3 and Hang Li driving in 3 runs.
Game 2 saw ace Nic Goetz deliver the goods for the Ravens. 10 strikeouts to just one walk shows how in control he stayed. Pavan Sunkar and Michael Green were responsible for the the home side’s 2 hits. The games ended 15-1 and 19-0.
The Herts Raptors were looking to stay in the race for the division when they hosted the Essex Redbacks at Grovehill. They led after three innings, keyed by an Adam Scales double. But the visitors managed to impose themselves late, and a Herts rally fell just short It ended 14-8. Game 2 was rained out.
There was praise for the Raptors’ Danny Preston and Jamie Berlofsky for stepping into unfamiliar roles – as pitcher and catcher respectively – and putting in outstanding performances. Jack Burkett was also said to have put in “one hell of a shift” in the outfield.
The Herts Hawks travelled to the Essex Archers in the Double-A league. They out-hit their hosts in Game 1 – with spark-plug Harry McMenamin going 3-for-4 with two doubles, and Declan Carlean going 2-for-4. Ken Pike struck out four, but Essex were always able to keep their nose in front and won 9-4. The Archers were able to repeat the feat in Game 2, taking a 13-4 win with their pitchers combining for 8 Ks.
Harry McMenamin had made an impact on Saturday, too, when he made a guest appearance for the Herts Ducks in Double-A. They were at home to the London Musketeers and endured a tough day, but coaches were impressed with McMenamin’s “heart and hustle”. The Ducks lost 29-3 and 18-2, with the bright spots from Game 2 two strong innings from Prime Mencias, and RBIs for Jake Spicer and Bradley Charalambous.
The Herts Cardinals were having a good day in their Triple-A matchup against the Kent Buccaneers. They won Game 1 by a score of 15-5 behind the pitching of Brian Dearing and Osvaldo Badia’s home run and 5 RBIs. But rain washed out Game 2, so that will have to be picked up at a later date.
In the NBL, the Herts Falcons were resting, but other results did go their way. Both the East London Latin Boys and the Sheffield Bruins lost their games, and Herts remain fifth in the standings, hoping for a chance at the last playoff berth.
