Author: AspiDimitrov

by AspiDimitrov

HERTS RED ROOSTERS WIN THE 2010 HUNLOCK SERIES

 

The Herts Red Roosters celebrate winning the 2010 Hunlock Series

 

 

The winners of the 2010 Hunlock Series were the Herts Red Roosters.  Before the start of the day they were in pole position having booked their place in the final by finishing first in the group stage.

 

They faced the Herts Blue Dogs after they caused another shock by beating the Herts Black Widows in a closely fought semi-final playoff. 

 

All 3 teams were missing many of their originally drafted players, but that didn’t take away from the enjoyment of this celebration of the Herts Baseball family.  In the absence of co-managers Carlos Casal and Marc Martinez, Jamie Munn was deputizing as the Blue Dogs Manager.  He brought his own very effective management style and his team definitely enjoyed it.

 

His trademark mound visits were more akin to political party conferences than the usual one-on-one meetings which we have become accustomed to when watching MLB games.  On two occasions Munn’s mound visits brought immediate results delivering inning-ending double plays.  This proved to be crucial for the Blue Dogs as they went on to win 7-5 knocking the Black Widows out.

 

 

One of the special mound visits of Blue Dogs Manager, Jamie Munn, which sometimes involved all 9 fielders as well as some bench players.  The multi-dimensional strategic approach was certainly effective and brought success time after time for Munn’s men.

 

With a depleted bullpen it was always going to be a difficult task for the Blue Dogs to pull off another surprise in the Final.  The Herts Red Roosters arrived fresh for the game and this was noticeable from the start.

 

 

Pitcher Mike Kalmowicz throwing his newly invented pitch – the “changing changup”.

 

The Blue Dogs pitching staff tried everything to silence the Red Roosters bats.  Reliever Mike Kalmowicz even unveiled two new pitches in his repertoire in an effort to turn the game around. The two new pitches were the “changing changup” and as yet unnamed mystery pitch, but even this was not enough. The game ended with a convincing 22-11 win for the Herts Red Roosters.

 

BOX SCORES – PLAYOFF SEMI-FINAL

Herts Blue Dogs at Herts Black Widows
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Herts Blue Dogs 2 0 2 1 2 7 7 4
Herts Black Widows 1 1 1 1 1 5 5 5

Herts Blue Dogs 7, Herts Black Widows 5
Herts Blue Dogs Herts Black Widows
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
ELKINS Tim 1b 3 2 2 0 CURTIS Paul 3b-rf 2 0 0 0
MUNN Jamie cf 2 2 1 0 GREEN Tom rf-cf-ss-3b 3 0 0 0
DRUMMOND Bryan 3b 2 1 0 1 DIMITROV Ilya c 2 2 2 1
DIMITROV Aspi p 1 0 1 1 HOFFMANN Mark p-1b 2 0 1 2
(t4) DIMITROV Kal c 1 0 0 0 NAGHAR Rod cf-3b-ss 2 2 1 0
SHERMAN Perrie c-p 2 1 0 0 PEARCE Ben lf-2b 2 0 0 0
BARTHOLOMEW Ralph ss 2 1 1 0 DEACON Chris ss-cf 2 0 0 0
WILLIAMS Charlie rf 3 0 1 2 LLOYD-JONES Kyle 2b-lf 2 0 1 1
CURTIS Jack lf 3 0 0 0 KALMOWICZ Mike p-1b 2 1 0 0
HUMPHREY Alex 2b 3 0 1 0          
TEAM TOTALS 22 7 7 4 TEAM TOTALS 19 5 5 4
E: DRUMMOND Bryan(3), ELKINS Tim, KALMOWICZ Mike(2), DIMITROV Ilya, HOFFMANN Mark,
LLOYD-JONES Kyle. LOB: Herts Black Widows 4, Herts Blue Dogs 6. SB: ELKINS Tim(3),
MUNN Jamie(2), NAGHAR Rod(4), DIMITROV Ilya(3), KALMOWICZ Mike(2), PEARCE Ben. CS:
DIMITROV Ilya.
Herts Blue Dogs IP H R ER BB SO
DIMITROV Aspi W 3.00 3 3 1 2 4
SHERMAN Perrie 2.00 2 2 0 2 3
Herts Black Widows            
HOFFMANN Mark L 3.00 4 4 3 2 1
KALMOWICZ Mike 2.00 3 3 1 3 3
HBP: by DIMITROV Aspi (HOFFMANN Mark). . , by KALMOWICZ Mike (SHERMAN Perrie). WP:
HOFFMANN Mark(2), KALMOWICZ Mike. PB: DIMITROV Kal, DIMITROV Ilya. Balk: HOFFMANN
Mark. T: 2:15. A: 45.

BOX SCORES – FINAL

Herts Blue Dogs at Herts Red Roosters
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Herts Blue Dogs 6 1 0 3 1 11 9 3
Herts Red Roosters 2 2 6 7 5 22 11 1

Herts Red Roosters 22, Herts Blue Dogs 11
Herts Red Roosters Herts Blue Dogs
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
PIKE Ken p-1b-ss 5 2 2 1 ELKINS Tim 1b 2 2 1 1
GOULD Bobby 3b 3 4 3 3 BARTHOLOMEW Ralph 2b 1 1 0 0
RUSSELL Nick 1b-p 2 3 1 2 (b3) CURTIS Paul rf-2b 2 1 2 0
DIMITROV Aspi ss 1 0 0 0 (b5) DIMITROV Ilya 2b 0 0 0 0
(b3) PRASAD Mahendra pr-ss-cf 1 3 1 3 DEACON Chris ss-lf 4 0 0 0
DIMITROV Kal c 5 2 1 2 NAGHAR Rod 3b 2 3 1 0
CROOKS Phil cf-2b 3 1 0 1 SHERMAN Perrie p-c 1 2 1 2
ARNOTT Jim lf-1b 4 3 2 0 KALMOWICZ Mike c-p-ss 0 0 0 2
DRUMMOND Bryan 2b-cf-lf 4 0 0 0 HOFFMANN Mark lf-p-ss 3 1 2 3
GAMBLE Jon rf 1 4 1 2 WILLIAMS Charlie rf 3 1 1 0
          CURTIS Jack cf 3 0 1 1
TEAM TOTALS 29 22 11 14 TEAM TOTALS 21 11 9 9
E: DRUMMOND Bryan, ELKINS Tim(2), DEACON Chris. LOB: Herts Red Roosters 4, Herts Blue
Dogs 5. 2B: GOULD Bobby, ARNOTT Jim, PIKE Ken, SHERMAN Perrie. SB: GOULD Bobby(4),
RUSSELL Nick(4), PRASAD Mahendra(3), DIMITROV Kal(2), ARNOTT Jim, GAMBLE Jon, ELKINS
Tim(3), NAGHAR Rod(2), HOFFMANN Mark(2), CURTIS Paul(2), SHERMAN Perrie, KALMOWICZ
Mike. CS: SHERMAN Perrie.
Herts Red Roosters IP H R ER BB SO
RUSSELL Nick W 3.00 4 4 3 3 3
PIKE Ken 2.00 5 7 5 7 2
Herts Blue Dogs            
KALMOWICZ Mike L 2.33 5 9 7 5 1
HOFFMANN Mark 1.67 4 11 8 4 4
SHERMAN Perrie 1.00 2 2 1 0 0
HBP: by KALMOWICZ Mike (DIMITROV Aspi). , by HOFFMANN Mark (CROOKS Phil). , by
KALMOWICZ Mike (GOULD Bobby). WP: HOFFMANN Mark. PB: DIMITROV Kal(2), SHERMAN Perrie,
KALMOWICZ Mike. T: 2:20. A: 45.
by AspiDimitrov

REDS ARE IN THE HUNLOCK SERIES FINAL. BLUE DOGS AND BLACK WIDOWS WILL HAVE TO GO THROUGH PLAYOFF

The Herts Red Roosters booked their place in the 2010 Hunlock Series Final after a win against the Herts Black Widows in the final game of the group stage of the Series. 

Earlier in the day the Herts Blue Dogs, a team made up predominantly of Herts Little League players and their fathers, stunned the Roosters with a 12-8 win. Jesse Reinebold picked up the win.

The Blue Dogs were very close to causing another upset.  They were in the lead for most of their second game but came just short, losing 7-6 to the Black Widows at the end.  Marty Cullen and Greg Bochan were the big hitters for the Black Widows while Mike Kalmowicz pitched one and two-third innings for the win.  He did not allow any hits and struck out three.

This meant that the winner of the final game between the Black Widows and the Red Roosters was going to secure their place in the 2010 Hunlock Series Final while the loser would have to go through a very difficult playoff against the Blue Dogs which also carries the disadvantage of using up precious pitching options and going into the Final with a tired bullpen.

At the end it was the Red Roosters that came out on top in the final and deciding group game. Hits from Will Belbin (2-2), Mahendra Prasad (1-1, RBI ) and Phil Crooks (1-3, 2B RBI) helped the Red Roosters on to a 9-5 win.

The schedule for this Sunday, 17 October, of the Kyle Hunlock Series is as follows:

11:00 (Playoff) Herts Blue Dogs @ Herts Black Widows

14:00 (Final) Playoff Winner @ Herts Red Roosters

BOX SCORES

Herts Blue Dogs at Herts Red Roosters
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 R H E
Herts Blue Dogs 3 5 4 0 12 8 2
Herts Red Roosters 0 1 5 2 8 2 9

Herts Blue Dogs 12, Herts Red Roosters 8
Herts Blue Dogs Herts Red Roosters
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
MUNN Jamie cf 3 3 0 0 GOULD Bobby 3b 3 1 1 0
(b4) V Sub 6 pr-cf 0 0 0 0 JOHNSTON Matt 1b 2 1 1 1
GREEN Liam ss-p 4 1 2 1 (b4) PRASAD Mahendra 1b 0 1 0 0
CORNISH Andy 1b 3 3 2 3 RUSSELL Nick p-cf 3 0 0 2
GANSTER Alex 3b 2 2 1 0 DIMITROV Aspi ss 0 2 0 0
LONGBOY Arnold c 3 1 1 2 CROOKS Phil 2b 1 1 0 0
(b3) V Sub 4 pr-c 0 0 0 0 (b4) MANNING Lee 2b 0 0 0 0
REINEBOLD Jonathan lf 3 0 2 2 DRUMMOND Bryan cf-p 2 0 0 0
(b3) V Sub 1 lf 0 0 0 0 BELBIN Will rf 1 0 0 1
CHARGE Michael rf 3 0 0 0 (t4) AUCHTERLOUNIE Paul lf 0 0 0 0
(b3) V Sub 2 rf 0 0 0 0 LLOYD-JONES Kyle lf-rf 2 0 0 0
ELKINS Tim 2b 2 2 0 0 DIMITROV Kal c 1 2 0 0
(b3) V Sub 3 2b 0 0 0 0          
REINEBOLD Jesse p 2 0 0 0          
(b3) V Sub 5 ss-p 0 0 0 0          
TEAM TOTALS 25 12 8 8 TEAM TOTALS 15 8 2 4

E: REINEBOLD Jesse, V Sub 1, GOULD Bobby(3), CROOKS Phil(2), DIMITROV Aspi(2),
JOHNSTON Matt, BELBIN Will. LOB: Herts Red Roosters 4, Herts Blue Dogs 6. SB: CORNISH
Andy(3), MUNN Jamie(3), LONGBOY Arnold(2), GANSTER Alex, REINEBOLD Jonathan, ELKINS
Tim, V Sub 3, V Sub 6, DIMITROV Aspi(4), CROOKS Phil, GOULD Bobby, JOHNSTON Matt,
DRUMMOND Bryan, DIMITROV Kal, MANNING Lee.

Herts Blue Dogs IP H R ER BB SO
REINEBOLD Jesse W 2.33 2 4 1 2 3
GREEN Liam 1.33 0 4 2 7 2
V Sub 5 0.33 0 0 0 0 1
Herts Red Roosters            
RUSSELL Nick L 3.00 7 12 2 2 3
DRUMMOND Bryan 1.00 1 0 0 2 0

HBP: by RUSSELL Nick (CORNISH Andy). . . WP: GREEN Liam(3). PB: V Sub 4(3), DIMITROV
Kal. T: 1:45. A: 50.
Herts Black Widows at Herts Blue Dogs
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
Herts Black Widows 1 0 2 2 2 0 7 6 4
Herts Blue Dogs 1 0 4 1 0 0 6 6 3

Herts Black Widows 7, Herts Blue Dogs 6
Herts Black Widows Herts Blue Dogs
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
DIMITROV Ilya cf 4 1 1 1 H Player 1 cf-p 3 2 1 0
NAGHAR Rod 2b 3 1 0 1 H Player 2 p-ss 1 1 0 0
BOCHAN Greg p-ss 3 1 2 1 (t4) H Sub 2 ss 1 1 0 0
CULLEN Marty c 3 1 2 2 H Player 3 1b-p 3 0 0 1
KALMOWICZ Mike ss-p 1 1 0 0 (t5) H Sub 4 cf 0 0 0 0
HOFFMANN Mark 1b 3 0 1 1 H Player 4 3b 2 1 2 1
DEACON Chris 3b 2 1 0 0 (t5) H Sub 1 2b 1 0 0 0
GREEN Tom rf 1 0 0 0 H Player 5 ss 1 0 1 0
(t4) LLOYD-JONES Kyle rf 0 1 0 0 (t3) H Sub 8 1b 2 1 1 2
SLATER Andrew lf 3 0 0 0 H Player 6 c 2 0 1 0
          (t4) H Sub 6 c 1 0 0 0
          H Player 7 rf 2 0 0 1
          (t4) H Sub 5 rf 0 0 0 0
          H Player 8 2b 2 0 0 0
          (t4) H Sub 3 2b-3b 0 0 0 0
          H Player 9 lf 1 0 0 0
          (t4) H Sub 7 lf 1 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 23 7 6 6 TEAM TOTALS 23 6 6 5

E: DEACON Chris(2), NAGHAR Rod, BOCHAN Greg, H Player 4, H Player 8, H Sub 5. LOB:
Herts Blue Dogs 4, Herts Black Widows 8. 2B: DIMITROV Ilya. SB: BOCHAN Greg(2),
CULLEN Marty, KALMOWICZ Mike, GREEN Tom, H Player 6, H Sub 2. SF: NAGHAR Rod.

Herts Black Widows IP H R ER BB SO
BOCHAN Greg 3.00 6 5 4 1 1
KALMOWICZ Mike W 1.67 0 1 0 0 3
Herts Blue Dogs            
H Player 2 2.67 2 3 2 3 4
H Player 3 1.33 3 2 2 0 1
H Player 1 1.00 1 2 2 1 0

HBP: by H Player 2 (KALMOWICZ Mike). . . . , by H Player 3 (LLOYD-JONES Kyle). . WP:
BOCHAN Greg(2), H Player 2(2), H Player 3(2), H Player 1. T: 1:55. A: 59.
Herts Red Roosters at Herts Black Widows
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 R H E
Herts Red Roosters 1 3 5 0 9 6 0
Herts Black Widows 2 0 2 1 5 4 3

Herts Red Roosters 9, Herts Black Widows 5
Herts Red Roosters Herts Black Widows
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
PRASAD Mahendra cf 1 2 1 1 DIMITROV Ilya ss-c 3 0 0 0
ARNOTT Jim 3b 2 0 0 0 NAGHAR Rod 2b 1 2 0 0
JOHNSTON Matt lf 1 0 0 1 KALMOWICZ Mike p-ss 1 2 1 0
(t2) DRUMMOND Bryan lf 2 0 0 0 CULLEN Marty c-p 2 0 2 3
(t4) GAMBLE Jon p-lf 1 0 0 0 HOFFMANN Mark 1b 2 0 1 1
MANNING Lee ss-p 2 1 1 0 DEACON Chris 3b 2 0 0 0
AUCHTERLOUNIE Paul c 2 0 0 0 GREEN Tom lf 2 0 0 0
DIMITROV Aspi ss-p 2 1 1 0 LLOYD-JONES Kyle cf 2 0 0 0
BELBIN Will rf 2 2 2 0 PEARCE Ben rf 1 1 0 0
RUSSELL Nick 1b 2 0 0 0          
(t3) GOULD Bobby 1b-rf 0 0 0 0          
CROOKS Phil 2b 3 3 1 1          
TEAM TOTALS 20 9 6 3 TEAM TOTALS 16 5 4 4

E: KALMOWICZ Mike(2), NAGHAR Rod. LOB: Herts Red Roosters 2, Herts Black Widows 3.
2B: CROOKS Phil. SB: PRASAD Mahendra(4), ARNOTT Jim(2), MANNING Lee(2), BELBIN
Will(2), DIMITROV Aspi, CROOKS Phil, NAGHAR Rod(2), KALMOWICZ Mike.

Herts Red Roosters IP H R ER BB SO
DIMITROV Aspi W 3.00 4 4 4 3 3
MANNING Lee 1.00 0 1 1 1 0
Herts Black Widows            
KALMOWICZ Mike L 2.00 2 4 2 3 2
CULLEN Marty 2.00 4 5 1 0 3

T: 1:55. A: 56.
by AspiDimitrov

Herts are National Champions

The Herts Little Leaguers are bringing the 2010 British Championships trophy back to Herts. (photo by Ward Davis)

Members and fans of Herts Baseball Club are celebrating today as the club’s youth team was crowned the 2010 British Champions. They came from behind to beat the London Mets 2-1 in the Final which proved to be yet another colossal encounter between the two teams.

This championship game was originally scheduled to be played two weeks ago as part of the National Baseball Championships on Merseyside but had to be postponed due to rain and so it was moved to the recently renovated home of the Essex Arrows in Waltham Abbey. The overnight rain left substantial amount of water on the infield surface so it took a big effort from the hosts Essex and parents and officials from London and Herts working side-by-side to get the infield ready. There may be a big rivalry on the field between Herts and London but this was a good example of the mutual respect between the two clubs and another proof of the tremendous community spirit which the game of baseball always seems to inspire.

Herts started the game nervously. Despite retiring the first two batters, London managed to take a one-run lead after two uncharacteristic errors by the Herts defence. The pressure of the occasion must have been weighing heavily on the shoulders of the Herts players as they committed four errors during the game, which was more than the total number of errors in all three of the team’s postseason games before the Final.

In the bottom of the first inning it became obvious that this was going to be a difficult battle for Herts as London starting pitcher Taichi Tsuruta started throwing flames. He worked quickly through the first and second inning allowing only one runner to get on base.

Brodie Caress came home to score the tying run for Herts in the third inning.(photo by Ward Davis)

In the bottom of the third Herts managed to tie the game. Brodie Caress got on board with a walk and eventually came around to score with aggressive running from third as the Mets infield got sucked into making the play at second on a steal by Jonny Compton-Weight from first.

Herts starter, Jesse Reinebold, was pitching with the maturity and confidence of a 15-year MLB veteran. With the game on the line he did not allow any Mets runners to get on base in the third, fourth and fifth inning retiring 9 batters in a row, 6 of which were strikeouts. He pitched a complete game striking out 10 batters, allowing only 3 hits, no walks and no earned runs on 82 pitches, 68 of which were strikes – an incredible strike-ball ratio.

The Herts fans proved that they are the loudest supporters in British baseball. (photo by Ward Davis)

With the game tied 1-1 in the bottom of the fifth, Herts once again turned on their running game. Jonny Compton-Weight reached first on a ball four wild pitch, but with the backstop standing 60 feet behind the catcher he decided not to settle for first base and made the big turn to get to second base in a mad race with London catcher, Chris Saltzgaber, who was desperately trying to retrieve the ball and throw it to second base. Compton-Weight was safe at second and Herts brought on Kieran Manning to pinch run for him. It was Manning that became one of the many heroes for Herts. He advanced to third and later took advantage of a wild pitch to come home to give Herts the lead. It may not have been pretty but a lot of credit has to be given to the London pitching staff who kept Herts batters swinging and missing, so they needed some ultra aggressive base running to take the lead in this game of very small margin for error.

Herts took this one-run lead to the final inning and all eyes were on Herts starting pitcher Jesse Reinebold. Leading off for London was their Lithuanian centerfielder, Vykintas Dulius, who put the ball in play with a scuffed hit down the third base foul line. In a desperate attempt to get the out, Herts third baseman Richard Ganster barehanded the ball but couldn’t get a good grip on the wet ball so his throw went wide of the first baseman. Dulius took advantage and found himself on second base representing the tying run with no outs. Herts retired the next batter on a ground out to first baseman Zack Longboy. This moved the London tying run to third base with one out. There are over 20 different ways to bring a runner home from third base with less than two outs so the odds were very much against Herts. Up stepped Mets third baseman Elliot Coffey and he hit a hard line drive but Herts shortstop, Nick Martinez, was in the right place at the right time to snag the ball out of the air for the second out while holding the all important runner at third. Herts needed just one more out. Very fittingly, that final out of the game was a strikeout on a nasty pitch by Jesse Reinebold sparking wild celebrations as players, coaches along with those crazy Herts fans invaded the field.

This is one of the most memorable days in the club’s 15 year history. A very proud moment for everyone connected with the club and especially for the players, coaching staff and their families who have worked so hard since losing in the final one year ago and have now managed to win the trophy with an unbeaten 10-0 record in 2010.

For more images from the 2010 National Final click here (courtesy of Ward Davis)

London Mets at Herts All-Stars
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
London Mets 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 1
Herts All-Stars 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 1 4

Herts All-Stars 2, London Mets 1
Herts All-Stars London Mets
ab r h bi ab r h bi
Mikito Ariga 2b 3 0 0 0 Rintaro Suzuki ss 3 0 0 0
Carlos Casal Jr cf 2 0 0 0 Matthew Tarrant 1b 3 0 1 0
Marty Cullen Jr c 3 0 0 0 Taichi Tsuruta p-rf 3 1 1 0
Richard Ganster 3b 0 0 0 0 Vykintas Dulius cf 2 0 1 0
Nick Martinez ss 2 0 0 0 Ewan Clegg rf-p 3 0 0 0
Zack Longboy lf-1b 2 0 1 0 Elliot Coffey 3b 2 0 0 0
Jose Morillo dh 2 0 0 0 Chris Saltzgaber c 3 0 0 0
Brody Caress rf 0 1 0 0 Kota Minami 2b 2 0 0 0
(b5) Lewis Green rf-lf 1 0 0 0 (t5) V Sub 1 2b 0 0 0 0
Jonny Compton-Weight 1b 0 0 0 0 Kenta Reed lf 2 0 0 0
(b5) Kieran Manning pr-lf 0 1 0 0
Jesse Reinebold p 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 15 2 1 0 TEAM TOTALS 23 1 3 0
E: Mikito Ariga(2), Marty Cullen Jr, Richard Ganster, Chris Saltzgaber. LOB: Herts
All-Stars 4, London Mets 6. SB: Brody Caress(2), Richard Ganster, Jonny
Compton-Weight, Kieran Manning.
Herts All-Stars IP H R ER BB SO
Jesse Reinebold W 6.00 3 1 0 0 10
London Mets
Taichi Tsuruta L 4.33 1 2 2 5 8
Ewan Clegg 0.67 0 0 0 1 2
HBP: by Jesse Reinebold (Elliot Coffey). . . . . . WP: Taichi Tsuruta(2). T: 1:35. A:
110.

London Mets at Herts All-Stars
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
London Mets 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 1
Herts All-Stars 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 1 4

Herts All-Stars 2, London Mets 1
Herts All-Stars London Mets
ab r h bi ab r h bi
Mikito Ariga 2b 3 0 0 0 Rintaro Suzuki ss 3 0 0 0
Carlos Casal Jr cf 2 0 0 0 Matthew Tarrant 1b 3 0 1 0
Marty Cullen Jr c 3 0 0 0 Taichi Tsuruta p-rf 3 1 1 0
Richard Ganster 3b 0 0 0 0 Vykintas Dulius cf 2 0 1 0
Nick Martinez ss 2 0 0 0 Ewan Clegg rf-p 3 0 0 0
Zack Longboy lf-1b 2 0 1 0 Elliot Coffey 3b 2 0 0 0
Jose Morillo dh 2 0 0 0 Chris Saltzgaber c 3 0 0 0
Brody Caress rf 0 1 0 0 Kota Minami 2b 2 0 0 0
(b5) Lewis Green rf-lf 1 0 0 0 (t5) V Sub 1 2b 0 0 0 0
Jonny Compton-Weight 1b 0 0 0 0 Kenta Reed lf 2 0 0 0
(b5) Kieran Manning pr-lf 0 1 0 0
Jesse Reinebold p 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 15 2 1 0 TEAM TOTALS 23 1 3 0
E: Mikito Ariga(2), Marty Cullen Jr, Richard Ganster, Chris Saltzgaber. LOB: Herts
All-Stars 4, London Mets 6. SB: Brody Caress(2), Richard Ganster, Jonny
Compton-Weight, Kieran Manning.
Herts All-Stars IP H R ER BB SO
Jesse Reinebold W 6.00 3 1 0 0 10
London Mets
Taichi Tsuruta L 4.33 1 2 2 5 8
Ewan Clegg 0.67 0 0 0 1 2
HBP: by Jesse Reinebold (Elliot Coffey). . . . . . WP: Taichi Tsuruta(2). T: 1:35. A:
110.

by AspiDimitrov

CLASH OF THE TITANS. CAN HERTS END LONDON’S DOMINATION?

 

The waiting is over for the Herts All-Stars. Judgement day has finally arrived.

 

Herts Baseball Club’s young superstars have some unfinished business this Saturday.  After eliminating the Bracknell Broncos and the Essex RedBacks in the playoffs and the Halton Polecats in the National Under-14 Semi-Final two weeks ago on Merseyside, they were all set to face their old rivals, the London Mets, in the final, and then the rain came.

 

And so, this Saturday the nation will finally find out which is the best Under-14 team in Great Britain (weather permitting).  This will be a repeat of the 2009 National Final which the London Mets won in an epic 1-0 win.  Can Herts end London’s recent supremacy of British youth baseball and become the dominant force in the country at youth level.

 

 

Celebrities usually like to pay a visit to the ballpark in Essex.  TV Presenter, Jerry Springer, was a guest of the Essex Arrows last year and even umpired their game.  Who knows who might drop by this Saturday?

 

The game will be held at the home of Essex Baseball Club in Waltham Abbey.  It has undergone extensive renovation this year and now boasts brand new dugouts, backstop and the only spectator grandstand in the country.  The Herts travelling fans will be out in force once again and it will be interesting to see who will win the battle of the fans, both in terms of numbers and noise levels.

 

The game starts at 11am and will be followed by the Under-17 Final between the Cobham Cougars and the London Mets at 2pm.

 

Hot Dogs and other snacks and refreshments will be available on the day.

 

Venue address: Waltham Abbey Town Mead Leisure Park, Brooker Road , Waltham Abbey, Essex. EN9 1JH

Base umpire Jerry Springer making the call at first base to the sound of Jerry…Jerry…Jerry, from the stands.

by AspiDimitrov

HORSHAM MUSTANGS AND HERTS EAGLES CLINCH FUTURES TOURNAMENT TITLES

 

Moments before the final out and a 2010 Herts Futures Tournament title for the Herts Eagles (photo by Ward Davis)

 

The Horsham Mustangs and the Herts Eagles were the winners in the 2010 Herts Futures Tournament Minors (Under-11) and Majors (Under-14) Divisions, respectively.

 

The competition was held at Grovehill Ballpark which seems to be getting bigger and better with each year of the Herts Futures Tournament.  All the games were staged at the brand new diamond which didn’t exist a year ago.

 

 

The Horsham Mustangs keep showing that they are a very promising group of talented

players and it would be interesting to see how far they can go in the coming years. (photo by Ward Davis)

 

In the Minors Division (Under-11 age group), the battle was between the Horsham Mustangs and the Herts Hawks in a best-of-3 series.  The Horsham youngsters proved to be the better team on the day.  They took the first game 12-1.  In the second game Herts put up a brave fight but once again Horsham showed their superiority with a 12-5 win.  Last year the Horsham Under-11 team reached the final but lost in dramatic fashion, so it was good to see the same players who were heartbroken last year to come back and clinch the title this time around.

 

 

In the Majors Division the Herts Eagles produced a flawless performance to push aside all of their opponents and to become the 2010 champions.  It went down to the final game of the day when they faced the Horsham Broncos, who were the Herts Futures Champions in the inaugural edition of this event back in 2008. Horsham took an early 3-0 lead but the Herts Eagles kept their cool and came back to win it 7-3 confirming them as the 2010 Champions.

 

 

Brodie Caress made the play of the day with a diving stop at second base to get his brother Jake Caress

out at first base in a titanic clash between the Herts Eagles and the Herts Falcons. (photo by Ward Davis)

 

This was the first time in the history of the Herts Futures Tournament that a Herts team wins it, but even more satisfying for the Herts coaching staff was the fact that they managed to do so by fielding two Under-14 teams of equal strength and they didn’t feel the need to load one team with star players to clinch the title. This shows real progress and depth in the club’s youth programme at Under-14 level.  Can the club continue its tremendous progress by achieving the same strength at the Under-11 level next year?

 

more photos by Ward Davis from the 2010 Herts Futures Tournament.

 

 

The 2010 Herts Futures Tournament was organised with the support of:

 

 

by AspiDimitrov

HERTS LAUNCH FIRST EVER TV CHANNEL IN BRITISH BASEBALL

This Thursday Herts Baseball Club will break yet another barrier.  They will make British baseball history as the first baseball organisation in the UK to unveil its own TV channel.  The Herts Baseball Channel will be launched at 8pm on Thursday, 23 September, with live coverage of the 2010 Hunlock Series Draft.

 

Exactly two years ago the club made history as the first British baseball club to broadcast live radio with coverage of the 2008 Hunlock Series Draft and this year the club has gone a step further.

 

Club President, Aspi Dimitrov, said: ‘Having the capability to broadcast our own TV channel 24 hours a day opens up endless opportunities for us to promote our club and continue our growth. We now have the ability to televise live or on-demand talk shows, fan phone-ins, player interviews, game highlights, pre-game build up and post-game analysis, and this will have a very positive effect on all Herts Baseball operations.’ He added: ‘We can even stream live games from our own ballpark and this can be done by adopting the same methods used by ESPN and FOX when they show live MLB games.  For example, we can televise a Herts Falcons game live with 10 or more different cameras located in different parts of the ballpark and the various video feeds can be mixed to deliver coverage of the highest quality. CBS, Fox News and C-SPAN are just some of the organisations which are utilising the technology provided by LiveStream, so we are very grateful to the people at LiveStream who a few hours ago confirmed that they have agreed to provide Herts the capability to stream to 100,000+ concurrent viewers 24-hours-a-day with HD quality (subject to source footage being in HD).’

 

THE FIRST LIVE PROGRAMME

Herts Baseball Club have indicated that it will take several months for the channel to get up to speed and to start to utilise the full range of LiveStream features, but this week’s live coverage of the 2010 Hunlock Series Draft is the best possible way to launch it. 

 

The Hunlock Series is now in its fifth year and is arguably the most eagerly awaited event on the Herts Baseball calendar.  It is the only time of the year when all of the adult players from Herts Baseball Club’s major and minor league teams come to play together at the same venue.  Over the years the event has provided so much drama and excitement and the unveiling of the Herts Baseball Channel will enhance the Hunlock Series even more.  During the Live Draft the club will announce the 2010 Hunlock Series Managers and then the wheeling and dealing will begin with each manager aiming to gain an edge over their opponents even before a pitch has been thrown.

 

TUNE IN FOR THE DRAFT

The Herts Baseball Channel can be viewed by going to www.livestream.com/hertsbaseball  Live coverage will begin at 8pm on Thursday, 23 September 2010.  It is expected to end at around 11pm. For those who cannot watch the programme live, they can tune in 24 hours later (8pm on Friday) when it will be shown again in full.

 

VIEWER INTERACTION

Viewers will be able to communicate with each other in the ChatZone which is located on the right side of the TV screen. They can do this using the LiveStream ChatTool or via their Facebook  or Twitter accounts.  Viewers can post their questions to the managers and other studio guests in the ChatZone and some of these questions will be put to them.

by AspiDimitrov

SEMI-FINAL WIN FOR HERTS SETS STAGE FOR TITANIC CLASH WITH LONDON METS FOR THE TITLE

Herts All Stars – with the 2010 title in their sights.

The Herts All-Stars maintained their unbeaten record this year with a win against the Halton Polecats in the Semi-Final of the 2010 National Youth Baseball Championships.

 

This is the second successive year that the Herts All-Stars reach the showpiece event where the top four teams in the country battle it out for the championship. This year the event was held at John Mills Ballpark, which is the home of Halton Baseball Club. The venue was prepared immaculately by the hosts and the stage was set for two days of top class British youth baseball.

 

All hotels in the Runcorn and Warrington area were packed as teams and fans descended on Halton. The Herts travelling contingent had filled one of the hotels in Warrington to capacity and observers could easily have concluded that Herts are the home team based on the number of Herts supporters making the long trip to Merseyside.

 

Herts and Halton had met once before in their history and it was once again at the semi-final stage of the Championships 12 months ago. Herts were the winners on that occasion but it was a nail-biting win which had to be decided in extra innings.  A lot can change in youth baseball over 12 months so it was difficult to predict who had the upper hand ahead of this game.

 

The Herts All-Stars got the start they wanted in the top of the first inning when Marty Cullen Jr launched a 2-out solo home run over the right field wall. Herts extended their lead with five runs in the second inning. This included a towering one-run double from Brodie Caress which dropped just short of the outfield fence. Jesse Reinebold, Jonny Compton Weight and Mikito Ariga added more pressure with hits of their own to drive in the other four runs, including Kieran Manning who worked the walk to get on base.

 

After this Halton settled down defensively and allowed only one more Herts run to come in with Carlos Casal Jr taking advantage of a wild pitch to come slide home and extended the lead to 7-0.

 

Starting on the mound for Herts was Nick Martinez. He produced yet another outstanding performance allowing only 2 hits over 5.1 innings striking out 12 batters.

 

Most teams would struggle to lift themselves with a 7-run deficit, but credit has to be given to Halton Polecats who went into the bottom of the final inning with a lot of determination. They loaded the bases and managed to get two runs in.

 

In came the All-Stars closer, Marty Cullen Jr, needing one more out to put his team into the Final. Despite the pressure of having the bases loaded on a catcher’s interference and the tying run waiting on deck, Cullen Jr executed with precision to strike out Halton’s final batter.

 

In the second semi-final, reigning champions, London Mets, won comfortably against the Manchester Saints. This set up a London Mets vs Herts All-Stars final in a repeat of last year’s unforgettable final. Can the Herts All-Stars gain sweet revenge over their arch-rivals? After heavy rain in Merseyside all games on Sunday were postponed so everyone is left on the edge of their seats awaiting the decision from the British Baseball Federation about the date when the games will be played for the crowning of the 2010 British Champions.

 

The Herts Baseball Newswire will keep you up-to date with all the news. Stay tuned.

 

Photos by Ward Davis. More images from the event can be viewed here.

 

 

by AspiDimitrov

ADVENTURES OF THE HERTS HAWKS

In their last fixture of July, Herts Hawks went to north London for a second game against Sidewinders.  And, sadly, it was the second time that an eight-man Sidewinders team was able to comfortably defeat the Herts boys.  Greg Bochan took to the mound and threw the entire game. Sidewinders, however, were up to the task of facing the crafty veteran and were able to consistently hit well — twenty one in total, including an inside-the-park home run, in order to tally up twenty runs in just seven innings. Some defensive miscues behind the pitcher didn’t help – Rob Jones put down two catches in the outfield, and normally reliable players misplayed a couple of balls.

 

Offensively things were slightly better for the Hawks. After a slow start they were able to take advantage of nine walks and five hits to at least put up six runs of their own. Kal Dimitrov, Tim Elkins and Arnold Longboy all drove in a run each, Jones finally redeemed himself with an RBI double, and Simon Langton also contributed to the offense with two hits and a pair of runs. It was nowhere near enough, but hey, it was a sunny Sunday, and at least nobody fell down the rabbit hole lurking in centre field.

 

Next up on August 1st was a visit to the Thames Valley Bisons. With several players either away (it was holiday season, after all) or playing with the Eagles in AAA, it was always going to be difficult for the Hawks. The team had to call up a few Raptors just to be able to field a team. Not surprisingly the game was over in seven innings when the ten run slaughter rule came into effect.

 

Thames Valley did all the damage in the first four innings. Fifteen hits, to go with 12 walks and seven errors, allowed them to score 21 runs against Hawks pitchers Jeff Witter and Mark Hoffman, who split the pitching between them. On a more positive note, the Hawks were able to keep Thames Valley from scoring for the rest of the game; however the damage had already been done.

 

Offensively the Hawks could not answer Thames Valley’s surge and were only able to attain two hits and two walks all game. Witter and Tim Elkins were the sole providers of any offense for Herts, with a hit each. After seven innings the Hawks were unable to score any runs allowing for a very one sided final score of ThamesValley 21, Herts Hawks 0. It was another disappointment but the Hawks were unbowed.

 

On Sunday August 8th the Hawks played a double header against a very determined Bears team from Windsor. The Hawks bats started Game One like a house on fire, scoring eight runs in the first three innings, including a six run explosion in the second.  GB international star, Liam Green, was the stand out performer with three hits and three RBI’s, closely followed by Greg Bochan who had a pair of hits and a pair of RBI’s.  Bochan was also the starting pitcher, and he went six innings before handing over to Green. Their combined effort was excellent and the game was tied at eight apiece going into the fifth inning. But the pitchers could not hold them – and the Bears would press on scoring eleven runs to run away with it. Hawks were restricted to just one more run and they went down 18-8.

 

Game Two saw another young talent, Perrie Sherman, take to the hill for the first three innings, before being replaced by Simon Langton for an inning and then veteran Jeff Witter who finished the game off. With the Hawks defence only committing one error all game Windsor had to earn their runs – but unfortunately they did just that! Eleven hits and ten walks helped them rack up 18 runs. The Hawks did show some response to Windsor’s offense with ten hits of their own, but could not make them count. After six innings, the Hawks had only scored eight runs which would not be enough for the game to continue and the ten run slaughter rule came into effect. Liam Green was again the standout player with the bat, with three hits and five RBI’s. Liam’s performance was backed up by Perrie Sherman, Simon Langton and Jeff Witter who each picked up a hit and an RBI.

 

On this occasion, special thanks went to Witter and to Bochan who both volunteered to umpire a game each which was much appreciated by all. It had often been a struggle to muster a team, and then the games had been a further struggle, but the Hawks kept their spirits up and their season was to have a triumphant climax.

 

The Herts Hawks ended the season with a double header against the Brentwood Stags and put in two impressive performances to claim a pair of well earned victories. Game one saw that man Bochan pitch a complete game, giving up just one run on two hits to collect his second win of the season. An errorless defence along, with Bochan’s nine strikeouts, were able to hold the Stags to just one run in seven innings. The Hawks offense was more than up to the challenge of Brentwood’s pitchers. With a combined fifteen hits over the course of seven innings the Hawks were able to score nine runs. Takeshi Ashida joined the middle of the lineup and with Witter and Bochan they combined for seven hits and seven RBI’s between them. The impressive display all round by the Hawks was rewarded with 9-1 victory.

 

In game two the Hawks picked up from where they left off. They jumped out to an eight run lead in the first and would add on another five by the end of the game. Every player contributed with at least one hit each, resulting in a total of nineteen hits and thirteen runs. Unfortunately, Brentwood’s bats started to come alive in game two against Jeff Witter. The offensive surge by the Stags meant that the game was always close and six runs in the final three innings meant that they were just two runs shy of the Hawks with one out to go. Fittingly, Greg Bochan returned to the mound to get the final out and the game was over with the Hawks emerging 13-11 winners.

by AspiDimitrov

TWO ERROR-FREE ONE-HIT SHUTOUTS AND HERTS ARE THROUGH TO THE NATIONAL FINALS

The Herts All-Stars sent a clear message to the rest of the country with two convincing wins in the National Youth Baseball Playoffs. They will be making the trip up the M1 motorway to Halton next week for the National Youth Baseball Championships (NBC) as one of the four best teams in Great Britain.

 

The postseason for the Herts All-Stars started with a game against the Bracknell Broncos.  They jumped into an early lead scoring 10 runs in the first two innings.  On the mound for them Jesse Reinebold, Nick Martinez and Zack Longboy combined for a one-hitter, allowing only one walk in the process.  Charlie Mayhew ended the game with a spectacular leaping catch in right field and so with a final score of 10-0 the boys from Hertfordshire were over the first playoff hurdle.

 

Next up were the Essex RedBacks and Herts once again put their opponents on the back foot from the start.  Leadoff batter Carlos Casal was the first to cross home plate.  First baseman Richard Ganster then drove in Mikito Ariga and Nick Martinez with a triple.  Jesse Reinebold rounded off the inning with a single to bring a fourth Herts run home in the opening inning. Reinebold then took the mound in the bottom of the inning retiring the side in order.  Herts piled on the pressure with three more runs in the second inning on back-to-back-to-back hits by Mikito Ariga, Nick Martinez and Richard Ganster.  Ganster proved to be the most productive hitter for Herts with an impressive line over the two games in which he almost hit for the cycle (3-for-4, 2B 3B, 5 RBIs, 4 Runs).

 

Four more runs came home in the fourth and one in the sixth inning for Herts.  At the same time starting pitcher Reinebold and reliever Marty Cullen Jr were outstanding on the mound.  They were backed up by solid defensive plays every step of the way.

 

Over the two games the Herts defense did not commit a single error. Their four pitchers did not allow any runs, struck out 22 batters, allowing only 2 hits and 2 walks. 

 

The second team to reach next week’s Youth National Championships from the Southern Conference is the reigning champion London Mets.  The two Northern representatives are the host Halton Polecats and the Manchester Saints.  The Youth NBC will start with semi-finals on Saturday, 18 September, the winners of which will meet in the final on Sunday to determine the new British Champions.

 

Fans of Herts Baseball Club who are not travelling for the event can track the action pitch-by-pitch live via the internet here.

 

For more images from today’s playoffs, click here.

 

Photos by Ward Davis.

 

BOX SCORES – HERTS vs BRACKNELL (Under-14 National Playoffs)

 

Bracknell Broncos at Herts All-Stars
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 R H E
Bracknell Broncos 0 0 0 0 0 1 4
Herts All-Stars 5 5 0 0 10 3 0

Herts All-Stars 10, Bracknell Broncos 0
Herts All-Stars Bracknell Broncos
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Carlos Casal Jr 2b 2 0 0 0 V Player 1 p-1b 2 0 0 0
Nick Martinez ss-p 2 1 0 0 V Player 2 c 2 0 0 0
(t3) Zack Longboy p-rf 0 0 0 0 V Player 3 1b-p 2 0 1 0
Marty Cullen Jr c 0 2 0 0 V Player 4 2b 2 0 0 0
Richard Ganster 3b 2 2 1 1 V Player 5 3b 1 0 0 0
Jesse Reinebold p-ss 0 2 0 0 V Player 6 ss 1 0 0 0
Kyle Lloyd-Jones cf 2 1 1 1 V Player 7 lf 0 0 0 0
Lewis Green lf 2 0 0 0 V Player 8 cf 1 0 0 0
Charlie Mayhew rf 0 1 0 0 V Player 9 rf 1 0 0 0
Jonny Compton-Weight 1b 2 1 1 0          
TEAM TOTALS 12 10 3 2 TEAM TOTALS 12 0 1 0
E: V Player 4(2), V Player 2, V Player 7. LOB: Bracknell Broncos 1, Herts All-Stars
2. SB: V Player 7. CS: Charlie Mayhew, V Player 3.
Herts All-Stars IP H R ER BB SO
Zack Longboy 1.67 1 0 0 0 1
Jesse Reinebold W 1.33 0 0 0 0 4
Nick Martinez 1.00 0 0 0 1 3
Bracknell Broncos            
V Player 3 1.67 2 6 1 3 0
V Player 1 L 0.33 1 4 0 1 1
HBP: by V Player 3 (Marty Cullen Jr). , by V Player 3 (Marty Cullen Jr). . . WP: V
Player 3(5), V Player 1(2). T: 1:20. A: 89.

BOX SCORES – HERTS @ ESSEX (Under-14 National Playoffs)

Herts All-Stars at Essex RedBacks
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
Herts All-Stars 4 3 0 4 0 1 12 7 0
Essex RedBacks 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 4

Herts All-Stars 12, Essex RedBacks 0
Herts All-Stars Essex RedBacks
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Carlos Casal Jr 2b 3 2 0 0 S Andrew p-1b 3 0 0 0
Mikito Ariga 3b 4 3 1 0 M Laen-Gay cf-ss 2 0 1 0
Nick Martinez ss 3 3 1 1 T Barnes 1b-c 2 0 0 0
Richard Ganster 1b-c 2 3 2 4 S Meikle ss-p-1b 2 0 0 0
Marty Cullen Jr c-p 4 0 1 1 S Yuille rf 0 0 0 0
Jesse Reinebold p 2 0 1 1 (b4) Weston rf 1 0 0 0
(b5) Jonny Compton-Weight 1b 0 0 0 0 C Brown 3b 2 0 0 0
Jose Morillo rf 2 0 0 0 A Roofe 2b 2 0 0 0
(t4) Lewis Green pr-rf-lf 1 1 0 0 R Pavelin cf-c 2 0 0 0
Brodie Caress cf 2 0 1 1 M Asher lf 2 0 0 0
Zack Longboy lf 2 0 0 0          
(b5) Kieran Manning rf 1 0 0 0          
TEAM TOTALS 26 12 7 8 TEAM TOTALS 18 0 1 0
E: A Roofe(2), T Barnes, S Yuille. DP: Herts All-Stars 1. LOB: Essex RedBacks 1,
Herts All-Stars 7. 2B: Mikito Ariga, Richard Ganster. 3B: Richard Ganster. SB: Nick
Martinez, Jesse Reinebold, Lewis Green. CS: Zack Longboy.
Herts All-Stars IP H R ER BB SO
Jesse Reinebold W 4.00 1 0 0 1 8
Marty Cullen Jr 2.00 0 0 0 0 6
Essex RedBacks            
S Andrew L 3.00 6 7 5 4 6
S Meikle 3.00 1 5 1 6 4
HBP: by S Meikle (Jose Morillo). . . WP: Jesse Reinebold, S Andrew(2), S Meikle(2).
PB: T Barnes(2), R Pavelin. T: 1:35. A: 105.

 

 

by AspiDimitrov

WEIGHT OF EXPECTATION ON YOUNG HERTS SHOULDERS

The Herts All-Stars will return to Finsbury Park 12 months after

missing out on the trophy in an epic 1-0 Final vs the London Mets.

Almost 12 months have passed since the Herts All-Stars lost 1-0 in the National Under-14 Final against rivals London Mets in heart-breaking fashion.  The Herts youngsters are a year older, stronger and they have been waiting for this. The club’s four senior teams came short in the hunt for silverware this season so the hopes of everyone connected with Herts Baseball Club rest on the young shoulders of the Herts All Stars.

Images from last year’s Finals – the Herts All-Stars are now a year older, stronger…and they are searching for gold.

Like last year they will need to go through a series of postseason playoff games in order to get to the final. Once again there will be no room for error in these knockout games. It commences this Saturday, 11 September, at Finsbury Park, the home of the London Mets. They go into this Saturday’s playoffs with a regular season record of 6 wins and no losses, but they are yet to face the big guns in the competition.

The Herts All-Stars can once again count on the best

fans in the country supporting them every step of the way.

Their first opponents will be the Bracknell Broncos. The two teams met earlier in the season with Herts coming on top, but, as they say, the form book goes out of the window in the playoffs. If Herts can overcome Bracknell, they will meet the losers of the London Mets vs Forest Glade RedBacks game. The winner of that second game will go through to the National Youth Championships which will be held in Halton on 18 and 19 September 2010.

 

SCHEDULE

11am – Game 1, #2 Forest Glade @ #1 London; winner qualifies for NYBC

11am – Game 2, #4 Bracknell @ #3 Herts All Stars; loser eliminated

2pm – Game 3, winner game 2 @ loser game 1; winner qualifies for NYBC

2pm – Game 4, winner game 1 @ loser game 2; consolation

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