24 hours before Saturday’s eagerly-awaited Under-17 and Under-14 postseason playoffs the British Baseball Federation has announced the postseason rosters of the 11 participating teams.

Herts are going into the Under-17 playoffs with a roster which has a significantly lower average age than the other U17 teams.  On the basis of this and their regular season record, the Herts U17 All Stars go into the games tomorrow as the outsiders. The Under-14 Herts team is ranked third in the seeding. 

From last year’s Under-14 National Championship-winning squad there are five players who are still within the Under-14 age group, while six others have moved up into the Under-17 age group.

 SPYING MISSION

We have also received reports that Herts U17 Manager, Lee Manning, has been very thorough in his preparations going as far as actually visiting the venue of the Under-17 Playoffs.  He sent in photos showing what the venue looks like 24 hours before the games commence.

Click here for more photos of RAF Daws Hill

After several weeks of summer holidays the Herts Baseball Little League teams returned to Grovehill Ballpark for the deciding games in the Majors and Minors Championships.

GIANTS CLINCH TITLE IN DRAMATIC EXTRA INNINGS

In the Minors the Herts Giants went into the final game one game ahead of the Herts Dodgers, so there was no room for error for the Dodgers.  They needed to win to force an additional one-game Championship decider. 

They looked down and out going into the fifth and final inning trailing 19-11, but they came out fired up and started a memorable comeback.  11 Dodgers came home to score to give them a 3-run lead (22-19).  In the bottom of the inning the pressure was now on the Giants and they scored three to tie the score at 22-22 and take the game into extra innings.  In the top of the sixth Dodgers regained the lead with another two runs.  Would that be enough? 

With players like Matt Cowler who hit another home run for the Giants earlier in the game the Dodgers needed their defence to perform at their best.  It seemed as though they will manage to complete one of the greatest come-backs in the history of the Herts Little League as they quickly got two outs in the bottom of the sixth.  The Giants had other ideas. Beau Mack-Rehnsi delivered the final blow with a single to left-centerfield which drove in James Roberts to win the game 25-24.

A great Championship-deciding game which will be talked about for a long time.

RED SOX NATION RETAINS CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE

In the Majors, the Herts Yankees had a mountain to climb in this best-of-7 series.  They were trailing 2-0.  Everyone was hoping that this match-up will go all the way to game 7 but the Red Sox went into the games with a very focused and professional approach and did not give an inch to their opponents.  Justin Henderson dominated on the mound pitching a no-hitter in game 3.

It was now a do-or-die situation for the Yankees, and the relentless Red Sox pressure continued.  Kyle Lloyd-Jones hit a 3-run home run off Liam Green which went deep over the right field wall and almost cleared the permanent outfield wall which applies to adult league games.  By the time the Yankees got their offensive game going they were trailing 12-2. 

In the third inning Liam Green responded with a 2-run home run to left-centerfield which also came just a few feet short of clearing the full adult league regulation outfield wall distance.  Green produced an absolutely identical 2-run home run in the fifth.  Richard Ganster then stepped up to launch another bomb for a back-to-back home run.  All of this impressive power hitting got the fans off their seats, but at the end proved to be too little and too late for the Yankees. 

The final score was 18-7 completing a convincing 4-0 overall win in the Series and a Herts Majors Championship for a second consecutive year for Arnold Longboy’s team who is starting to build a Red Sox Nation of his own.

Game 3 Box Scores

Game 4 Box Scores

More photos from the event

We have reached the culmination of the 2011 Herts Minors and Majors Championship Series and the winners will be determined this coming Saturday.  Both series are finely poised so it is expected to be a dramatic day of baseball at Grovehill Ballpark.

In the Minors Series, the Herts Giants have the upper hand over the Herts Dodgers, but a win for the Dodgers would bring both teams level in the standings.  They certainly have the momentum on their side as they go into Saturday’s decider with a two-game winning streak.

The Red Sox have dominated the Majors Series so far this season.  They have a 2-0 lead so there is very little margin for error for the Herts Yankees.

The managers of the Herts youth teams have been busy making player transactions ahead of these deciding games.

Who will lift the trophy?  Giants or Dodgers?  Red Sox or Yankees? The action commences at 11am. 

Hot dogs, refreshments and other snacks will be on offer throughout the day and the event is open for anyone to come and enjoy.

Today is football’s transfer deadline day and football managers around the UK have been signing players which they hope will bring them success this season, spending over £300 million in the process.  The managers of the Herts youth baseball teams have also been busy ahead of this Saturday’s games which will decide the Herts Little League Championships.  They have been a lot more economical focusing mainly on  free agents, but the signings they have made could make all the difference this weekend.

Herts Red Sox Manager, Arnie Longboy picked up pitcher Justin Henderson and Charlie Boneham who has played in the outfield for the Herts U17 All Stars so far but his versatility may mean that the Red Sox could try him in other positions as well.  Boneham’s debut for Herts was against the Cobham Cougars and he proved to be one of the most valuable players on that day.

Herts Yankees Manager, Kent Peterson, added Richard Ganster to his roster.  Ganster will add power to the Yankees batting lineup and will strengthen the team as an accomplished pitcher, catcher and pretty much any other position in the field.

The Herts All Stars continued their preparations for next month’s National Playoffs with an added international flavour.

A mixed roster of mainly Under-14 All Stars supplemented by several Under-17 All Stars travelled to Billericay for a 3-team international tournament hosted by the Essex RedBacks.  The Essex RedBacks the Herts All Stars were joined by the German team, the Marl Sly Dogs.

In the opening game between the hosts from Essex and the Sly Dogs, the team from Germany came out on top 5-3.  In a dramatic second game the RedBacks scored 3 runs in the bottom of the final inning for a walk-off 4-3 win against the Herts All Stars.

Despite a rain delay the sun came out and the final game between the Marl Sly Dogs and the Herts All Stars was completed with a convincing 12-1 win for the Sly Dogs. 

This proved to a be a very productive tournament for Herts as part of the team’s preparations for the British Postseason.  It is not very often that international games are being played in the UK and the Essex RedBacks should be congratulated for organising this visit by the Marl Sly Dogs.

Essex RedBacks vs Herts All Stars (click for box scores and play-by-play)

Herts All Stars vs Marl Sly Dogs  (click for box scores and play-by-play)