Author: AspiDimitrov

by AspiDimitrov

COMING TO TERMS

It's taken me three days to put words on the screen this week, and I'm not sure why. Partly, it's because I just don't know where to start. The Raptors took what a Norwegian football commentator once called “a hell of a beating”, but as I mull over it constantly it's still hard to see where it all went wrong. Visions of errors — some of them my own — drift through my mind, but not enough visions to add up to a thirty-run loss. We were not outclassed this week, although we faced a good team. More, we were beaten by our own inability to land the killer blow — stranding runners on base, and giving up too many runs with two outs. It's a cliche to say that baseball is a game of inches, but it is an unforgiving game. It's about executing the plays, with precision. There is lots for us to work on.

I must add that team spirit is still extremely strong. This was a blowy, wet and grey day at the Grovehill ballpark but an admirable number of players turned up and endured the worst that the British spring could throw at us. In my capacity as stand-in manager, I had to rotate lots of players in and out of the game and they all took it with good grace. I remain optimistic for our future.

And how did I get on, as manager, and first baseman again? As I said, the mistakes were there. I don't know if they were scored as errors but your job on first base is to deal with whatever throw comes your way and on a few occasions I didn't do that. Mainly, it was when I needed to tag a runner — on one play, I turned my head away from the catch before I had the ball secure, too eager to make the tag; on another I was too distracted by the guy bearing down on me and failed to stand firm and receive the ball. It's easy to dismiss the distractions that are there in a busy baseball diamond, but not so hard to actually ignore them. As a manager … well, it's great fun and a great pleasure to take the reins when needed, but I will certainly join the team in welcoming back our fearless leader Slater for next week's game!

 

by AspiDimitrov

FALCONS KEEP UP WITH THE PACK IN NBL TITLE CHASE

Report from Herts Baseball Newswire Correspondent, ANDY CORNISH

 

With a runner on third and second, two down and a one run lead to protect, there was a visit to the mound with Catcher Lee Manning, pitcher Darrin Ward and stand in manager Andy Cornish.  Lee started off ‘should we walk this guy, he swings big?’  It was decided to pitch to the current batter.  A ground ball back to Darrin, and easy play at first base, which was followed a state of euphoria.  HERTS WIN, HERTS WIN!

 

With Manager Jason ‘Skip’ Greenberg, Dan ‘Hollywood’ Kerry and Riley ‘the Fish’ Fisher all missing and Eagles game cancelled due to the forecasted weather, additions of Louis Hare and Dave Westfallen were made to the roster.  Herts travelled through a variable weather fronts that has been common with the last few summers in the UK, arriving at top of the National League’s, Bracknell, field in the pouring rain.  It soon cleared up, and the game began on time, and a brilliant game of baseball occurred.  Blows were traded in each inning with no-one certain of the outcome.  In the fourth inning, Bracknell runners on second and third, a ground ball came out to third baseman, Nic Goetz, who threw home, a run down occurred, ending with a tag out, the batter decided to head to second base, unaware there was still a runner there.  Heading back to first base, the runner incurred the second run down of the inning, once again ending in a tag out.  Two run downs, one inning.  Herts were 2 runs up after the 4th and holding strong, but coming out of the 5th inning it was 6-6.  Leading off the top of the 6th, leadoff batter Aspi Dimitrov walked, stole second, advanced to third on a passed ball, and trotted home on a sac fly by Yuchih Lin, 7-6.  Darrin Ward then closed the book on this game only allowing 3 hits over the next 2 innings and shutting down the Bracknell’s offence. 

 

Bracknell looked visibly shaken by this loss.  Nic Goetz took the mound for Herts and a pitching duel commenced in some heavy rain.  Nic was excellent, only allowing 3 hits over the full 7 innings.  This was not enough to wake up the sleeping bats of Herts, and Goetz ended up on the wrong side of a 4-1 game.  During the game, Herts did not get a hit, however, a rare highlight in the sixth as Darrin Ward managed to hit in the only run on an error by the outfield.  Lin (who had also reached on an error) ran around from first base to score as Darrin stood up at second base.  Both Dave Westfallen and Louis Hare provided solid defence, throwing out multiple runners and being a rock at first base respectively.  The second game did not tell the full story as the usually reliable defence had to battle with the heavy showers, allowing 5 errors.

 

Lee Manning made a triumphant return behind the dish, batting 2-4 in the first game, scoring a run, with reliable Kimi Saionji also going 2-4. Stand in manager Andy Cornish commented ‘We came out the blocks straight away against top of the division, and a positive mood in the camp came through.  Bracknell thought that we would just roll over and we were not here to do that, fortune seems to favour the bold.  We need to build on the positives, and next time we see them I am expecting an improvement.  I am very proud of a few players in particular.  The supporters were excellent as always, even in the weather and don’t always seem to get some of the notice that they deserve.’

 

GAME 1


Herts Falcons at Bracknell Blazers
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Herts Falcons 1 3 2 0 0 1 0 7 9 2
Bracknell Blazers 2 2 0 0 2 0 0 6 11 1

Herts Falcons 7, Bracknell Blazers 6
Herts Falcons Bracknell Blazers
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Aspi Dimitrov lf 3 1 1 1 Leo Morgan lf 4 0 0 0
Luis Goncalves ss 2 0 1 1 Damian Van Nickerl 3b 2 1 0 0
Lin Yuchih 2b 3 1 1 1 Ryan Trask ss 4 2 3 2
Darrin Ward p 4 1 1 1 Matt Matland dh-p 4 0 0 0
Kimiyoshi Saionji rf 4 1 2 1 Henry Collins cf 4 1 2 0
John Oliver 1b 3 1 0 0 Marcus Simpson rf 3 1 1 1
Lee Manning c 4 1 2 0 Connor Vernon 2b 4 0 1 0
Nick Goetz 3b 2 1 0 0 Matt Bray c 4 1 3 1
Jamie Munn cf 2 0 1 2 Phil Matthews 1b 3 0 1 0
Brendon Cunliffe p 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 27 7 9 7 TEAM TOTALS 32 6 11 4
E: Lin Yuchih, Kimiyoshi Saionji, Damian Van Nickerl. LOB: Herts Falcons 6, Bracknell
Blazers 9. 2B: Kimiyoshi Saionji, Darrin Ward, Luis Goncalves, Jamie Munn. HR: Ryan
Trask. SB: Aspi Dimitrov(2), Ryan Trask(2), Henry Collins(2), Connor Vernon. CS:
Jamie Munn. SB: Damian Van Nickerl. SF: Luis Goncalves, Lin Yuchih.
Herts Falcons IP H R ER BB SO
Darrin Ward W 7.00 11 6 2 2 6
Bracknell Blazers            
Brendon Cunliffe 4.00 7 6 5 3 6
Matt Matland L 3.00 2 1 0 2 1
HBP: by Darrin Ward (Phil Matthews). . . . . . WP: Brendon Cunliffe(2). PB: Lee
Manning, Matt Bray. T: 2:05. A: 48.

GAME 2

Herts Falcons at Bracknell Blazers
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Herts Falcons 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 5
Bracknell Blazers 0 1 0 0 2 1 0 4 3 3

Bracknell Blazers 4, Herts Falcons 1
Bracknell Blazers Herts Falcons
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Leo Morgan cf 2 0 0 0 Luis Goncalves ss 4 0 0 0
Damian Van Nickerk 3b 3 0 0 0 Jamie Munn lf 3 0 0 0
Ryan Trask ss 2 0 1 2 Lin Yuchih 3b 1 1 0 0
Matt Matland p 1 0 0 0 Darrin Ward dh 2 0 0 0
(t4) Henry Collins p 2 0 1 0 Kimiyoshi Saionji 2b 3 0 0 0
Tom Bray c 1 2 0 0 Dave Westfallen c 3 0 0 0
Max Flasher 2b 3 0 0 0 Louis Hare 1b 2 0 0 0
Phil Matthews 1b 3 0 0 0 (t6) John Oliver 1b 1 0 0 0
Yaso Minousa lf 3 1 1 1 Aspi Dimitrov cf 1 0 0 0
Mike Cattermole rf 3 1 0 0 Andy Cornish rf 3 0 0 0
Nick Goetz p 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 23 4 3 3 TEAM TOTALS 23 1 0 0
E: Damian Van Nickerk, Ryan Trask, Max Flasher, Lin Yuchih(2), Luis Goncalves, Nick
Goetz, Aspi Dimitrov. LOB: Bracknell Blazers 5, Herts Falcons 6. 2B: Yaso Minousa.
SB: Ryan Trask, Tom Bray. CS: Henry Collins. SB: Leo Morgan.
Bracknell Blazers IP H R ER BB SO
Henry Collins 4.00 0 1 0 1 2
Matt Matland W 3.00 0 0 0 3 4
Herts Falcons            
Nick Goetz L 6.00 3 4 1 2 4
HBP: by Henry Collins (Aspi Dimitrov). , by Nick Goetz (Tom Bray). . T: 1:38. A: 48.

 

 

With a runner on third and second, two down and a one run lead to protect, there was a visit to the mound with Catcher Lee Manning, pitcher Darrin Ward and stand in manager Andy Cornish.  Lee started off ‘should we walk this guy, he swings big?’  It was decided to pitch to the current batter.  A ground ball back to Darrin, and easy play at first base, which was followed a state of euphoria.  HERTS WIN, HERTS WIN!

 

With Manager Jason ‘Skip’ Greenberg, Dan ‘Hollywood’ Kerry and Riley ‘the Fish’ Fisher all missing and Eagles game cancelled due to the forecasted weather, additions of Louis Hare and Dave Westfallen were made to the roster.  Herts travelled through a variable weather fronts that has been common with the last few summers in the UK, arriving at top of the National League’s, Bracknell, field in the pouring rain.  It soon cleared up, and the game began on time, and a brilliant game of baseball occurred.  Blows were traded in each inning with no-one certain of the outcome.  In the fourth inning, Bracknell runners on second and third, a ground ball came out to third baseman, Nic Goetz, who threw home, a run down occurred, ending with a tag out, the batter decided to head to second base, unaware there was still a runner there.  Heading back to first base, the runner incurred the second run down of the inning, once again ending in a tag out.  Two run downs, one inning.  Herts were 2 runs up after the 4th and holding strong, but coming out of the 5th inning it was 6-6.  Leading off the top of the 6th, leadoff batter Aspi Dimitrov walked, stole second, advanced to third on a passed ball, and trotted home on a sac fly by Yuchih Lin, 7-6.  Darrin Ward then closed the book on this game only allowing 3 hits over the next 2 innings and shutting down the Bracknell’s offence. 

 

Bracknell looked visibly shaken by this loss.  Nic Goetz took the mound for Herts and a pitching duel commenced in some heavy rain.  Nic was excellent, only allowing 3 hits over the full 7 innings.  This was not enough to wake up the sleeping bats of Herts, and Goetz ended up on the wrong side of a 4-1 game.  During the game, Herts did not get a hit, however, a rare highlight in the sixth as Darrin Ward managed to hit in the only run on an error by the outfield.  Lin (who had also reached on an error) ran around from first base to score as Darrin stood up at second base.  Both Dave Westfallen and Louis Hare provided solid defence, throwing out multiple runners and being a rock at first base respectively.  The second game did not tell the full story as the usually reliable defence had to battle with the heavy showers, allowing 5 errors.

 

Lee Manning made a triumphant return behind the dish, batting 2-4 in the first game, scoring a run, with reliable Kimi Saionji also going 2-4. Stand in manager Andy Cornish commented ‘We came out the blocks straight away against top of the division, and a positive mood in the camp came through.  Bracknell thought that we would just roll over and we were not here to do that, fortune seems to favour the bold.  We need to build on the positives, and next time we see them I am expecting an improvement.  I am very proud of a few players in particular.  The supporters were excellent as always, even in the weather and don’t always seem to get some of the notice that they deserve.’

 

GAME 1


Herts Falcons at Bracknell Blazers
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Herts Falcons 1 3 2 0 0 1 0 7 9 2
Bracknell Blazers 2 2 0 0 2 0 0 6 11 1

Herts Falcons 7, Bracknell Blazers 6
Herts Falcons Bracknell Blazers
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Aspi Dimitrov lf 3 1 1 1 Leo Morgan lf 4 0 0 0
Luis Goncalves ss 2 0 1 1 Damian Van Nickerl 3b 2 1 0 0
Lin Yuchih 2b 3 1 1 1 Ryan Trask ss 4 2 3 2
Darrin Ward p 4 1 1 1 Matt Matland dh-p 4 0 0 0
Kimiyoshi Saionji rf 4 1 2 1 Henry Collins cf 4 1 2 0
John Oliver 1b 3 1 0 0 Marcus Simpson rf 3 1 1 1
Lee Manning c 4 1 2 0 Connor Vernon 2b 4 0 1 0
Nick Goetz 3b 2 1 0 0 Matt Bray c 4 1 3 1
Jamie Munn cf 2 0 1 2 Phil Matthews 1b 3 0 1 0
Brendon Cunliffe p 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 27 7 9 7 TEAM TOTALS 32 6 11 4
E: Lin Yuchih, Kimiyoshi Saionji, Damian Van Nickerl. LOB: Herts Falcons 6, Bracknell
Blazers 9. 2B: Kimiyoshi Saionji, Darrin Ward, Luis Goncalves, Jamie Munn. HR: Ryan
Trask. SB: Aspi Dimitrov(2), Ryan Trask(2), Henry Collins(2), Connor Vernon. CS:
Jamie Munn. SB: Damian Van Nickerl. SF: Luis Goncalves, Lin Yuchih.
Herts Falcons IP H R ER BB SO
Darrin Ward W 7.00 11 6 2 2 6
Bracknell Blazers            
Brendon Cunliffe 4.00 7 6 5 3 6
Matt Matland L 3.00 2 1 0 2 1
HBP: by Darrin Ward (Phil Matthews). . . . . . WP: Brendon Cunliffe(2). PB: Lee
Manning, Matt Bray. T: 2:05. A: 48.

GAME 2

Herts Falcons at Bracknell Blazers
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Herts Falcons 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 5
Bracknell Blazers 0 1 0 0 2 1 0 4 3 3

Bracknell Blazers 4, Herts Falcons 1
Bracknell Blazers Herts Falcons
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Leo Morgan cf 2 0 0 0 Luis Goncalves ss 4 0 0 0
Damian Van Nickerk 3b 3 0 0 0 Jamie Munn lf 3 0 0 0
Ryan Trask ss 2 0 1 2 Lin Yuchih 3b 1 1 0 0
Matt Matland p 1 0 0 0 Darrin Ward dh 2 0 0 0
(t4) Henry Collins p 2 0 1 0 Kimiyoshi Saionji 2b 3 0 0 0
Tom Bray c 1 2 0 0 Dave Westfallen c 3 0 0 0
Max Flasher 2b 3 0 0 0 Louis Hare 1b 2 0 0 0
Phil Matthews 1b 3 0 0 0 (t6) John Oliver 1b 1 0 0 0
Yaso Minousa lf 3 1 1 1 Aspi Dimitrov cf 1 0 0 0
Mike Cattermole rf 3 1 0 0 Andy Cornish rf 3 0 0 0
Nick Goetz p 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 23 4 3 3 TEAM TOTALS 23 1 0 0
E: Damian Van Nickerk, Ryan Trask, Max Flasher, Lin Yuchih(2), Luis Goncalves, Nick
Goetz, Aspi Dimitrov. LOB: Bracknell Blazers 5, Herts Falcons 6. 2B: Yaso Minousa.
SB: Ryan Trask, Tom Bray. CS: Henry Collins. SB: Leo Morgan.
Bracknell Blazers IP H R ER BB SO
Henry Collins 4.00 0 1 0 1 2
Matt Matland W 3.00 0 0 0 3 4
Herts Falcons            
Nick Goetz L 6.00 3 4 1 2 4
HBP: by Henry Collins (Aspi Dimitrov). , by Nick Goetz (Tom Bray). . T: 1:38. A: 48.

by AspiDimitrov

POLICE AND FIRE BRIGADE OPEN A NEW SEASON OF HERTS BASEBALL LITTLE LEAGUE

The girls and boys of the Herts Baseball Little League opened the 2009 season in the usual festive fashion.  The ceremony started with the unveiling of the league teams.  Last season, the league consisted of four teams.  In addition, in 2009 two new teams have been added to the line-up. 

 

In order to create a better balance in terms of age and ability, the six teams were divided into two separate divisions.  Last year’s four teams, Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs and Blue Jays, will once again compete against each other and this will be referred to as the“Majors” Division.  The two new teams, the Cardinals and the Giants, will be playing in the newly created “Minors” Division, which will include the league’s youngest players some aged as young as 5.

 

Opening Day’s guests of honour were members of the Hertfordshire Constabulary and Hertfordshire’s Fire and Rescue.  The young baseball players had the opportunity to shake their hands and show their appreciation for the men and women of the emergency services.

 

Dacorum and St. Albans District Commander of Hertfordhsire Fire and Rescue, Simon Brown, said: “It is fantastic to see such a wonderful programme in our community and we are glad that we have a chance to take part in this great event”.  His counterpart from the Hertfordshire Constabulary, Pete Edwards, added: “It is so nice to meet all the boys and girls and we hope that the Herts Baseball programme will continue to grow”.

 

Their colleagues, Danny Allsopp, Simon Steptoe, Beansy Harper, Sticky Pymont of Herts Fire and Rescue and Ryan Coyle, Matt Caan, Daniel  John of the Herts Constabulary joined them for the ceremonial first pitch.  All eight guests of honour showed good baseball abilities delivering powerful and accurate pitches.  On the other side eight Little League players were waiting to receive the pitches, and so the 2009 season was officially opened.

 

Whether it is baseball, football or some other sport, there is a common belief that the standard in every sport improves year-after-year.  Without any doubt this theory applies to the Herts Baseball League.  The improvement of the baseball players over the last 12 years has been incredible.  A lot of credit has to be given not only to the coaches, but most importantly to the players who have been working hard to improve.  Some have been putting in countless hours of work at home practicing various aspects of the game.  And it is certainly paying off.  This was illustrated very well by the magnificent triple play executed with the skill that we associate only with MLB players.

 

In the first games of the Majors Division, the Red Sox managed to overcome the Yankees 4-3.  In the other game, the Cubs started the season with a 1-0 win against the Blue Jays.  As the score line suggests, this was a classic pitchers’ duel.  In the second games, the Yankees beat the Blue Jays 10-5 while the Red Sox are the only team with aa 100% record after their 9-4 win against the Cubs.

 

In the Minors Division, it was the Cardinals that came out on top of a 21-20 epic against the Giants.

 

Click here for more images from Opening Day.

 

Boys and girls aged between 5 and 14+ can join the Herts Baseball Little League at any time.  For more details visit www.hertslittleleague.com

by AspiDimitrov

DEALING WITH THE PAIN

It's two days since the game ended, and my body is slowly recovering. The bruise which stopped me closing my hand is starting to fade, the gash on my shin has new skin. And when I think that I got off lightly compared to some of my team mates, you do wonder why we do this for fun. The Raptors have so far shown an alarming enthusiasm for putting their bodies on the line — Ken has tried repeatedly to separate himself from his shoulder; Iwan tried to hurdle the catcher to steal home and nearly broke his back. And all this is without our most persistent masochists getting involved — Stevie normally gets poleaxed on a regular basis, but instead, at the weekend, he was stroking RBI doubles.

So is there any need for all this pain? Over my years at the Herts club, we have had any number of bleeding faces and black eyes (including one of my own), all topped off with a broken jaw (not mine). But nobody flinches. My wife thinks we're all bonkers. I suspect she's right. Maybe it's all part of the release we get by playing competitive sports. And kept within sensible limits, I think injury is a perfectly healthy part of sport.

by AspiDimitrov

BACK TO THE FUTURE?

This was a case of “Going back through the change”. Not so much a bold vision of the future, more a return to the past. To fill our needs with only nine players available, I was in the outfield this week.  And it was a nice, comfortable fit. Five catches, I think, including one of those satisfying slick moments that I was hoping for in my last entry — a sliding, diving catch in shallow centre field, the sort you want to watch over and over on the highlight reels. I didn't make a single out at the plate, so I will count that as a positive, too — although getting hit by a pitch for the second week running had not been part of the plan.

And how about the team? I think we would all agree we were a bit outclassed this week, but when the opposition is reportedly stacked with GB-squad talent, that's no disgrace.  Our pitcher, Jon, was once again a complete stud, and only really gave up two big hits. The others were just ground balls finding holes, or close defensive plays that we didn't quite make.  Our batters are starting to be patient at the plate, and we capitalised on walks handed out by the relief pitchers, to the point where we nearly avoided the slaughter rule!

 

by AspiDimitrov

THE KIDS ARE BACK. NEW SEASON OF THE HERTS BASEBALL LITTLE LEAGUE STARTS THIS SATURDAY

This Saturday, 16 May, young baseball players from all around Hertfordshire and the surrounding areas will be heading down to Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead.  The occasion is the start of the 2009 Herts Baseball Little League season.

 

In keeping with baseball tradition, the Opening Day of the Little League season will be a festive occasion.  Everything that is expected on Opening Day will be featured, from the singing of the national anthem to the hot dogs. 

 

Last year the season was officially opened by the Mayor of the Borough of Dacorum, Councillor Mrs. Carol Green, who threw out the ceremonial first pitch with impressive authority.  This year’s guests of honour will be members of the emergency services and this would give the young Herts baseball players a chance to show their gratitude to the men and women who work tirelessly helping us in the most extreme and challenging circumstances.  Members of Herts Baseball Club who are raising funds for the British Heart Foundation will also be taking part in the event as part of their fundraising campaign.

 

The opening ceremony will commence at 12pm and it will be followed by the first Little League games of 2009. 

 

The Herts Baseball youth programme has made tremendous strides since its inception in the summer of 2007.  It has grown into one of the largest baseball youth programmes in the country and its players have already had enormous success, including winning the MLB PlayBall  AA winners’ trophy in 2008 and finishing as runners-up in the Herts Futures Tournament last September defeating some of the best baseball teams in Great Britain. 

 

The talent of the Herts Baseball Little League players has not gone unnoticed and the GB National Team programme has already invited several of them to the GB U-13 National Team.

 

Last year’s inaugural season ended in a dramatic three-way tie between the Cubs, Red Sox and the Yankees and an extra week of playoff games were required to determine the eventual champions, the Herts Yankees.  Who will win it this time around?

 

Since last season, over £10,000 has been invested in developing the baseball facilities at Grovehill Ballpark thanks to a grant from the National Lottery.  It is already becoming an impressive sporting venue which is packed with baseball events for youth and adult teams from March until October.  The members of Herts Baseball Club have been working hard over the last 12 months to raise additional funds for the development of Grovehill Ballpark and these are scheduled to be invested later in the year.

 

Don’t miss the 2009 Little League Opening Day.  Boys and girls aged between 5 and 14+ can join the Herts Baseball Little League at any time.  For more details visit www.hertslittleleague.com

by AspiDimitrov

EXTRA INNINGS DRAMA IN NORTH LONDON

Having already seen the Falcons and Raptors chalk up amazing victories with last-inning heroics this season, it was the turn of the Eagles to add their own chapter on Sunday with an unbelievable 25-17 extra innings victory over the Sidewinders in Enfield.

 

While the home team cycled through a number of players in the marathon encounter, Herts stuck with the same nine men throughout – displaying the determination and team spirit that are symptomatic of all levels of Herts baseball.  … (full report and box scores to follow shortly)

by AspiDimitrov

RAPTORS 12 BRACKNELL BLAZERS II 23

Report from Herts Baseball Newswire Correspondent, KEN PIKE

 

The Raptors travelled to Bracknell to face the Blazers II knowing it would be a tough showdown with the opposition fielding three team GB cadets in their line up. With this in mind the brave young Raptors squad put fear aside and produced their best performance of the year.

 

Some commanding pitching from Jon Lewys was the trademark of the game as he went the full nine innings showing an ever increasing confidence on the mound. His command of the strike zone was a further step in his development and improvement. Jon is looking to be a star of the team by the end of the season both as a glove, a bat and an arm.

 

Backing Jon up in the field was no easy task though with Bracknell hitting some powerful shots around the park, including one home run to left field. Never the less, some amazing plays kept the scores within reach including a spectacular sliding catch from Rob Jones to close out an inning.

 

The batting performances of the day came from player-manager Andrew Slater with two double RBIs, and Steve Nippress who nearly cleared the boundary himself for the Raptors but fell only a couple of yards short of the first HR of his career. The team did well over all racking up 12 runs against two powerful pitchers.

 

Comedy moment as well as dedication and bravery in the face of overwhelming odds awards go to Iwan Evans who decided to steal home on a passed ball at third. Beaten to the bag by a mile Iwan went for an acrobatic avoidance of the tag resulting in his legs being higher than his head. Result: one out, an injured hip (to add to his arm) and a mouthful of dirt. Luckily our Jackie Chan wannabe was walking again after a brief respite and is sure to be playing next week, even if he is sporting a bruised ego and gluteous maximus.

 

Returning from an injured right shoulder Ken Pike was forced to take the field earlier than the coach wanted due to the third inning injury of new starter Jeff Witter. As is always the way in such matters the very first hit of the inning went straight to Ken. As was, it ended up in his glove and produced an out at first. Sadly, half an inning later and he was on the ground again having attempted a throw to home plate. After moving to first base he managed to finish the game, and he assures us his arm will be ready next week.

 

Sadly, despite the team’s bravery and effort, the damage had been done early on and the Raptors were fighting to come back from a 10 run deficit after two innings. The end result of a 12 -23 loss does them credit having kept the gap to 11 by the end of the game. They can still hold their heads high knowing they avoided the mercy rule against a team likely to be a league higher next year.

Herts Raptors at Bracknell Blazers II
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Herts Raptors 0 0 2 2 0 4 4 12 6 1
Bracknell Blazers II 5 5 0 2 6 5 0 23 22 2

Bracknell Blazers II 23, Herts Raptors 12
Bracknell Blazers II Herts Raptors
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Player 1 p-rf 4 2 3 2 Rob Jones cf 1 3 1 0
Player 2 c 6 2 3 0 Ilya Dimitrov ss 0 3 0 0
Player 3 1b 4 2 1 0 Jonathon Lewys p 1 2 1 1
Player 4 2b 3 1 1 2 Andrew Slater c 4 1 2 2
(t5) Sub 1 2b 1 2 1 0 Steve Nippress 2b 4 0 1 2
Player 5 3b 4 4 3 2 Ken Pike 1b-2b 4 0 1 1
Player 6 ss 2 3 2 2 Phil Crooks lf 3 1 0 0
(b5) Sub 3 ss 1 2 1 0 Iwan Evans 3b 2 1 0 0
Player 7 lf 4 1 1 0 Neil Brackley rf 3 1 0 0
(t5) Sub 2 cf 1 2 1 0
Player 8 cf-lf 6 1 4 2
Player 9 rf-p 4 1 1 1
TEAM TOTALS 40 23 22 11 TEAM TOTALS 22 12 6 6

E: Player 2, Player 3, Steve Nippress. LOB: Herts Raptors 7, Bracknell Blazers II 11.
2B: Player 5, Player 6, Player 9, Steve Nippress, Ken Pike. 3B: Player 6. SB: Player
1(5), Player 3(4), Player 5(3), Sub 1(3), Player 9(2), Player 8(2), Sub 3(2), Player
2, Player 6, Player 4, Player 7, Sub 2, Rob Jones(3), Ilya Dimitrov(3), Andrew
Slater(2), Jonathon Lewys, Iwan Evans, Ken Pike, Neil Brackley, Phil Crooks. CS: Iwan
Evans.

Bracknell Blazers II IP H R ER BB SO
Player 1 W 6.00 4 8 7 12 9
Player 9 1.00 2 4 4 3 2
Herts Raptors            
Jonathon Lewys L 6.00 22 23 23 10 2

HBP: by Jonathon Lewys (Player 9). . . . , by Jonathon Lewys (Player 3). , by Player
1 (Ken Pike). , by Player 9 (Rob Jones). WP: Player 1. T: 4:00. A: 34.
Herts Raptors – Top of the 1st:
Rob Jones walked, batted forward to 2nd, tagged out going to 3rd.
Ilya Dimitrov walked, stole 2nd.
Andrew Slater struck out swinging.
Steve Nippress struck out looking.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Bracknell Blazers II – Bottom of the 1st:
Player 1 singled, batted forward to home.
Player 2 singled, batted forward to home.
Player 3 singled, stole 2nd, stole 3rd, batted forward to home.
Player 4 flied out, 1 RBI.
Player 5 walked, stole 2nd, batted forward to home.
Player 6 walked, batted forward to home.
Player 7 flied out.
Player 8 singled, stole 2nd, batted forward to 3rd, 1 RBI.
Player 9 hit by pitch, batted forward to 2nd.
Player 1 walked, 1 RBI.
Player 2 popped out.
5 runs, 4 hits, 0 errors, 3 LOB.
Herts Raptors – Top of the 2nd:
Ken Pike grounded out.
Phil Crooks grounded out.
Iwan Evans grounded out.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Bracknell Blazers II – Bottom of the 2nd:
Player 3 popped out.
Player 4 singled, stole 2nd, batted forward to home, 1 RBI.
Player 5 struck out looking.
Player 6 doubled, batted forward to home, 1 RBI.
Player 7 singled, batted forward to home.
Player 8 singled, batted forward to 3rd, stole home.
Player 9 walked, batted forward to 3rd, stole home, 1 RBI.
Player 1 singled, stole 2nd, 1 RBI.
Player 2 singled.
Player 7 popped out.
5 runs, 6 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Herts Raptors – Top of the 3rd:
Neil Brackley popped out.
Rob Jones singled, stole 2nd, stole 3rd, batted forward to home.
Ilya Dimitrov walked, stole 2nd, batted forward to home.
Jonathon Lewys walked, batted forward to 2nd, stole 3rd.
Andrew Slater singled, stole 2nd.
Steve Nippress struck out looking.
Ken Pike struck out looking.
2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Bracknell Blazers II – Bottom of the 3rd:
Player 8 popped out.
Player 9 doubled, stole 3rd.
Player 1 walked, stole 2nd.
Player 2 struck out looking.
Player 3 popped out.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Herts Raptors – Top of the 4th:
Phil Crooks walked, advanced to 2nd on wild pitch, batted forward to 3rd, stole home.
Iwan Evans walked, batted forward to 2nd, advanced to 3rd on error, batted forward to
home.
Neil Brackley struck out swinging.
Rob Jones walked, advanced to 2nd on error, tagged out going to 3rd.
Ilya Dimitrov reached on interference, batted forward to 2nd, forced out at 3rd.
Jonathon Lewys singled, advanced to 2nd on error.
2 runs, 1 hit, 2 errors, 1 LOB.
Bracknell Blazers II – Bottom of the 4th:
Player 4 popped out.
Player 5 singled, stole 2nd, batted forward to home.
Player 6 tripled, stole home, 1 RBI.
Player 7 reached on error, stole 2nd, batted forward to 3rd.
Player 8 popped out.
Player 9 popped out.
2 runs, 2 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB.
Herts Raptors – Top of the 5th:
Steve Nippress walked, picked off.
Ken Pike doubled, stole 3rd.
Phil Crooks struck out looking.
Iwan Evans popped out.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Bracknell Blazers II – Bottom of the 5th:
Player 1 singled, stole 2nd, stole 3rd, stole home.
Player 2 walked, advanced to 2nd on error, tagged out going to 3rd.
Player 3 hit by pitch, stole 2nd, stole 3rd, batted forward to home.
Sub 1 singled, stole 2nd, stole 3rd, stole home.
Player 5 singled, stole 2nd, batted forward to home.
Sub 3 singled, stole 2nd, stole 3rd, batted forward to home.
Sub 2 singled, stole 2nd, batted forward to home.
Player 8 singled.
Player 9 popped out.
Player 1 popped out.
6 runs, 6 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Herts Raptors – Top of the 6th:
Neil Brackley walked, stole 2nd, batted forward to home.
Rob Jones walked, batted forward to home.
Ilya Dimitrov walked, batted forward to home.
Jonathon Lewys walked, batted forward to home, 1 RBI.
Andrew Slater struck out swinging.
Steve Nippress struck out swinging.
Ken Pike hit by pitch, 1 RBI.
Phil Crooks struck out swinging.
4 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Bracknell Blazers II – Bottom of the 6th:
Player 2 singled, batted forward to 2nd, stole 3rd, batted forward to home.
Player 3 popped out.
Sub 1 walked, batted forward to home.
Player 5 doubled, batted forward to home, 2 RBI.
Sub 3 walked, batted forward to home.
Sub 2 walked, batted forward to home.
Player 8 singled, batted forward to 2nd, 1 RBI.
Player 9 popped out.
Player 1 walked.
Player 2 popped out.
5 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Herts Raptors – Top of the 7th:
Iwan Evans walked, stole 2nd, caught trying to steal 3rd.
Neil Brackley struck out swinging.
Rob Jones hit by pitch, batted forward to 2nd, stole 3rd, batted forward to home.
Ilya Dimitrov walked, stole 2nd, batted forward to home.
Jonathon Lewys walked, batted forward to home.
Andrew Slater singled, stole 2nd, batted forward to home, 2 RBI.
Steve Nippress doubled, 2 RBI.
Ken Pike struck out swinging.
4 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Bracknell Blazers II – Bottom of the 7th:
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
by AspiDimitrov

THAT TINGLING FEELING

It's that time of week when you really start to feel the presence of the weekend's game, just around the corner. I work shifts, so the “Friday feeling” is a bit of a mystery to me — but the imminence of a baseball game gives life a whole new sheen. You check the weather forecast; you start planning your route to an away game; and you catch yourself practising your batting swing while waiting in line at the canteen. There is the tantalising possibility that the last week's disappointments can be replaced with slick plays in the field, and majestic hits at the plate. Every week, it's a fresh, green canvas. Maybe that's what keeps us coming back.

 

by AspiDimitrov

UP AND RUNNING

This was my first game of the season so there were lots of firsts – the first satisfying out; the first frustrating error; the first hit; the first walk. And I was on first base, too. It's almost poetic isn't it?

The first out came quickly, in the top of the first inning, a ground ball slower than I originally judged, so it didn't have the momentum it needed to jump into my glove. Therefore I juggled it before running to first and stepping on the bag. Not smooth, but an out nonetheless. The key mistake came late in the game. First is an unforgiving position — great to be involved so often, but the out is considered routine, the easy play, and you have to make it. When it would have really helped us to beat the runner, I let a low throw from the shortstop slip out of my glove, when I might've done better to have scooped it up. You learn. Well, let's hope.

Overall there were bright spots for the team. Our inexperience showed but there were few howlers, if any, and there is heart in abundance. We lost by what the Americans would call “a football score” but it could all have been so different. I am up and running, with a mix of good and bad on the report card.