The Herts Ravens made the most of home turf with a double-header sweep over the London Minotaurs in Division 4. They edged a thrilling opener 13-12 at Basing Hill Ballpark before backing it up with a composed 7-4 victory later in the afternoon. It was a day that showcased the Ravens’ resilience, timely hitting and the ability to answer every challenge.
The opening contest was an instant classic. London came out swinging, plating two runs in each of the first four innings to build a 8-4 advantage, but the Ravens never looked rattled. After keeping themselves within touching distance, the offense exploded for a stunning nine-run fifth inning to completely flip the game on its head. That decisive rally proved just enough to withstand a late London push and secure a dramatic 13-12 win.
At the heart of that comeback was Po-Jui Huang, who delivered the last of his three hits and drove in two runs. Csaba Szilagyi provided the biggest punch with a two-hit performance that included the walk-off (as well as four RBIs), while Eddie Wang continued his outstanding season with two hits, three runs scored and another extra-base hit.
On the mound, Justin Cheng battled through three innings to keep the Ravens within striking distance. Then Ding Shen Hsu held things steady over the final two frames, collecting the win after the offense erupted in support.
Rather than easing off after the dramatic opener, the Ravens carried that momentum straight into the second game. A five-run first inning immediately put London on the back foot, and although the visitors chipped away with single runs in the opening three innings, Herts always had the answers. Two insurance runs in the third restored breathing room before the pitching staff closed the door to complete the sweep.
The early offensive burst was sparked by Kenny Liao, whose RBI double helped ignite the first-inning rally, while Eddie Wang again played a central role with a hit, two walks and an RBI. Miguel Gibson also made his opportunities count, driving in a run and scoring once as the Ravens consistently capitalised on traffic around the bases.
Payton Liao picked up the win and Wei-An Wang delivered the most influential pitching performance of the afternoon. Entering in relief, he worked the final inning without allowing a hit or a run, striking out two to earn the save and finish off another home victory.
Two wins, plenty of character and another productive day with the bats ensured the Ravens completed an impressive double-header sweep. They move to 13-5 on the season, just two games back in the division behind the Herts Hawks.
In Division 5, the Herts Raptors travelled to the Cambridge Monarchs after a long break in their schedule. They got rolling immediately with hits from Nic Hine and Abdul El Hamri helping rack up five runs in the first, and five more in the second.
Ollie Nourse got the start on the pitching mound and controlled the game well, striking out three and yielding only 1 hit. But when Cambridge started to edge back in, El Hamri came on in relief to shut things down.
The offense tacked on when it needed to and Herts ran out 17-8 winners. Nourse got the pitching W. Craig Elliott-Davey and Joe Spiers scored 2 runs each, Paul Owen stole 5 bases.
In Game 2, the two sides traded maximum 5-run halves in the first inning. But after the Raptors scored 2 in the top of the second – with Billy Perry at the heart of it – Henry Bell then threw up a zero and Herts looked well set.
However, in this case it was Cambridge who were stronger later. After chasing Bell, they also got to reliever Paul Auchterlounie. Herts led going into the final half inning but patient at-bats and aggressive stealing helped the Monarchs to a 14-13 walkoff win.
Raptors remain well clear in their division, with a 12-2 record. But they will hope to take forward the bright points from this split, and rack up some more wins in the coming weeks to ensure a playoff place and a good seeding.