Author: Herts Baseball News Editor

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Widows come out on top in 3-horse race. Managers face risk-reward dilemma on Sunday

(photo by Paul Holdrick)

The Red Roosters were on the verge of an incredible achievement, but they slipped up in the final league game missing out on the top spot. Despite this they can be very pleased with their effort as they leaped over White Lightning to avoid the dreaded Wild Card game on the final day of the 2014 Hunlock Series.

The Roosters started the day in third place, three games back on the leaders with 12 games remaining. They had the best possible start with four wins over the Blue Dogs and then two wins and two draws against the league-leading Black Widows. This elevated them into the first place for the first time in the Series.

 

It came down to the final series of the day between the Reds and the Whites who were also in the running for top spot after three wins earlier in the day over the Blue Dogs. At the end the Reds and Whites split the series 2-2 which was the worst-case-scenario for their hopes of a first place finish. All they could do now was to hope for a Blue Dogs win over the Black Widows. They were halfway there after picking up a well-deserved 1-0 win. They followed this by taking a 2-run lead in the final game. With two outs, up stepped Black Widows manager, Colin Whitton. In the previous week he played a key role with a walk-off hit. This time he came through a 12-pitch at-bat which ended with a hit which drove in the tying run. Another week-one walk-off hero was about to step up to the plate. Jimmy McCormick added to his reputation with yet another walk-off hit to give the Back Widows a 3-2 win which secured first place for them.

Click to view scoreboard

Click to view standings

ELIMINATION GAMES NEXT SUNDAY, 28 SEPTEMBER

This means that the Black Widows will go into the elimination phase of the Hunlock Series in pole position. They can sit back next Sunday and wait while the other 3 teams have to go through two gruelling games.

First up fourth-placed Blue Dogs will play third-placed While Lightning. Whoever wins this game will face the second-placed Red Roosters and the winner of this game will go into the final against the Black Widows.

Each of these three games will be played over 6 innings. The 9-outs restriction on pitchers will still be in force therefore the Blues, Whites and Reds managers will have some very difficult decisions to make as they try to save their ace pitchers for the Final, but they need to get there first. It will be very tempting for White Lighting to put one of their secondary pitchers in the game against the Blue Dogs who are seen as the underdogs. This could provide a lifeline to the team in Blue, so don’t write them off just yet.

We are all set for an exciting end to the season in front of a large audience as the three games will be played on one diamond, unlike the games in the first two weeks.

Click to view games schedule

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Bulldogs, Mets and Redbacks are the 2014 HFT winners

This was a record-breaking Herts Futures Tournament with 17 teams entering the four different age divisions.

UNDER-17

In the Under-17 Division the national champions, LYBL Bulldogs, didn’t show any mercy as they swept their opponents winning all four of their games. Their game against the Herts Harriers proved to be the deciding one. Both teams went into the game with 100% records and the HFT title on the line. Five Bulldogs came home in the first inning without reply to complete a perfect day for them. Herts Harriers managed to put that loss behind with a 4-0 win over the London Mets in the final game of the day to take the second place in the Under-17 standings.

UNDER-14

For the first time in the seven-year history of the competition all four teams in the Under-14 division ended up with identical win-loss records. The tie had to be broken on the “fewest conceded runs” rule. This meant that the LYBL Bulldogs secured the Under-14 HFT title as their team had allowed only 2 runs in their 3 games. London Mets and London Sports were in joint-second-place with 5 runs allowed. The Herts Cardinals conceded 11 so they had to accept forth place despite having the same won-loss record as the winners.

UNDER-12

The number of runs conceded was also the deciding factor in the Under-12 Division Pool A. The LYBL Bulldogs allowed 3 runs fewer than the Horsham Yankees and reached the final where they met the London Mets in a repeat of the National baseball Championship Under-12 Final. This proved to be a pitchers’ duel ending with a score of 0-0 which meant that the Mets were the Under-12 HFT Winners as they had a better win-loss record over the course of the competition.

UNDER-10

This was the first year that Under-10 teams entered the HFT and they produced arguably the most enthralling games. The Redbacks overcame the Mets in their best of 3 series to win it.

Click to view the full scoreboard and standings in all divisions.

GET YOUR PERSONALISED PHOTOS

The HFT was covered by DE Photo and participants can get their personalised photos, framed or otherwise, by visiting the HFT photo gallery (click to view)

2015 BASEBALL SEASON

The Herts Futures Tournament has rounded off the 2014 British youth baseball season in style. Teams up and down the country will now have to somehow survive the winter months without baseball. Thankfully Major League Baseball is about to enter its most exciting phase and we can follow the drama of the postseason on tv.

Players of all ages can contact Herts Baseball Club with a view to signing up for the 2015 season or giving baseball a try when the teams return to the ballpark in the new year.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

17 teams heading for Herts this Saturday

17 teams will be in action at the 2014 Herts Futures Tournament (HFT) which will take place this Saturday, 20 September 2014. This breaks the previous record of 15 team entries. This year, in addition to the U17, U14 and U12 divisions, an U10 division has been added as clubs expand their programmes to cover much younger age groups then we have been used to in the past.

 

U17

U14

Herts Harriers (U17)

Herts Cardinals (U14)

Horsham All Stars (U17)

London Mets (U14)

Hove Tuesday (U17)

London Sports (U14)

London Mets (U17)

LYBL Bulldogs (U14)

LYBL Bulldogs (U17)

U12

U10

Essex Arrows (U12)

Forest Glade RedBacks (U10)

Herts All Stars (U12)

London Mets (U10)

Horsham Yankees (U12)

London Mets (U12)

London Sports (U12)

The opening ceremony will take place at 10:30am. The first games begin at 11am and continue into the early evening. To view the games schedule click here.

“Herts Baseball Club welcomes new players at any time of the year” said club president, Aspi Dimitrov. “Any children aged between 6 and 16 who are interested to give baseball a try should contact the club. It is not too late to take part in this event.”

Traditional Baseball snacks will be on offer including hot dogs, chilli dogs, big league chew, Krispy Kreme Donuts and more. Imported baseball merchandise will also be on sale at the Herts Baseball shop. Professional photographers DE Photo will be on hand to capture every player from every team in action and players and fans will have a chance to buy framed photos from the games instantly at the venue.

The HFT has been held every year since 2008 and is now a permanent fixture in the British baseball calendar. It brings together youth teams of all age groups from across the country for a day of baseball at one of the best baseball venues in the United Kingdom.

For more information about the event visit the Herts Futures Tournament homepage.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts youth teams bring back 2 bronze medals from the 2014 National Championships

.

The Herts youth teams returned from the 2014 National Baseball Championships with two bronze medals on what was a fantastic occasion, as is always the case every September.

UNDER-17 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Herts Harriers went into the Semi-Final as the second seed out of the four teams which had reached this stage. They took the silver medal in 2013 and they were hoping to go one better, but ahead of these games they received two massive setbacks. Catcher Conner Brown suffered a hand-fracture in a non-baseball accident and at the same time the team had to say farewell to one of its key players, pitcher Tom Armstrong who has now moved to the USA.

Their semi-final opponent was the London Mets who went with their ace pitcher, the amazing Laura Hirai, fresh from an outstanding tour of the USA with the GB Under-17 National Team. With LYBL the potential opponent in the final for the winner, Herts decided to save ace pitcher, Zack Longboy, in the hope of reaching the final – a risky strategy but one which was necessary if the team was to stand a chance of succeeding in the final.

As expected, Mets pitcher, Laura Hirai, was very effective shutting out the Harriers in the first 4 innings. Herts’ starting pitcher Carlos Casal Jr. was doing well as the team kept in touch with the Mets trailing just 2-0 after 4 innings. But then disaster struck in the fifth inning. 11 London runs came home to score and there was no coming back from this as the Mets went on to win 13-1.

The Bronze Medal game between Herts Harriers and London Sports was declared an automatic win for Herts as the Little League rules in place this year placed pitching restrictions and the earlier Wild Card playoff and Semi-Final games left London Sports without any players eligible to pitch on Sunday under the rules.

The Herts U17 players and coaches will feel disappointed that they couldn’t fulfil their ambition of winning the U17 National Championship for the first time in Herts baseball history as they knew they had a team which could compete. They certainly gave everything on the day which is all that can be asked of the players in these big games. Most of these Herts players have played their last season in the under-17 league but, one thing is certain, they will be making headlines as they move into the big leagues in the coming years.

The LYBL Bulldogs beat the London Mets 9-4 in the Final.

UNDER-14 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

(photo by John Jansson)

Semi-Final: Herts Cardinals 1 London Mets 24 (click to view box scores)

As the Wild Card Winner, the Herts Cardinals faced the top seed, London Mets, in the U14 Semi-Final. It was always going to be a difficult task for the Cardinals to upset the odds against a team which beat all of their UK opponents and went through to the Little League European Qualifiers in Poland just two months ago. The Mets won convincingly with a score of 24-1.

(photo by John Jansson)

Bronze Medal Game: Herts Cardinals 6 London Sports 2 (click to view box scores)

In the Bronze Medal game Herts Cardinals came up against London Sports, a team which is always difficult to beat. The Cardinals needed all of their players to produce a top performance and they did.

Starting pitcher Mikey Sylvester took control from the first pitch. He went on to pitch a complete game one-hitter. 18 of the 21 outs came by way of a strikeout and he walked only 1 batter over the course of the game. Stats like these are incredible especially given the calibre of the opposition. The two runs scored by London Sports were unearned coming in after two overthrows in a dropped-third strike situation.

The London Sports pitching staff also produced excellent numbers. They struck out 13 batters and allowed only 6 hits and 3 walks.

With such efficient pitching the Herts Cardianls needed something special. Clutch hits from Shane Richards (2-4, HR, 2B, 3RBI, 2R), Mikey Sylvester (2-3, 2B(2), 2RBI, 2R), Ben Hitch (1-4, R), Adam Jansson (1-3, RBI) drove a total of 6 runs one of which was Thomas Garton who managed to get himself on base twice. Shane Richards’ 2-run home run was his third of the postseason.

It was very fitting that Mikey Sylvester managed to close the game with 3 strikeouts. The final out came on his final pitch of the pitch-count limit regulations.

The London Mets are the U14 National Champions after a 7-4 win over the LYBL Bulldogs.

UNDER-12 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

This was the first appearance in the National Championship Semi-Final for the Herts U12 team. They came up against the favourites LYBL Bulldogs and had the best possible start taking a lead which they held on to for the first 3 innings. With the score at 5-4 the Bulldogs had a big inning to take a 9-4 lead. Spirited comeback by Herts saw them reduce the deficit to 9-7. They may have been able to regain the lead but in two consecutive innings left the bases loaded. The Bulldogs went on to win it 13-7 to reach the U12 Final which they won 7-3 against the London Mets.

In the Bronze medal game Herts U12 lost 13-3 against London Sports.

Despite losing both of their games, the Herts U12 team should be very proud of how well they performed against the toughest teams in the country. The team has grown together over the last two years made up of players who have had little or no experience prior to joining Herts so it is exciting to see the U12 coaching staff develop these players to this very high standard.

HERTS FUTURES TOURNAMENT

The National Baseball Championships are now in the history books, but the youth teams from around the country have one more big tournament before baseball takes its winter break. The Herts Futures Tournament is expecting a record number of teams this Saturday 20 September at Grovehill Ballpark in Herts. The HFT games schedule will be published over the next 48 hours.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Box Scores: Herts Cardinals 6 London Sports 2 – BBF U14 Bronze Medal Game

.

Herts Cardinals at London Sports
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Herts Cardinals          2 0 1 0 3 0 0 6 6 1
London Sports            0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 1 0
Herts Cardinals 6, London Sports 2
Herts Cardinals London Sports
ab r h bi ab r h bi
Ben Hitch ss-c-1b             4 1 1 0 Tom L. cf                     3 1 0 0
Theo Longboy c                2 0 0 0 Gray K. ss                    3 0 0 0
(b3) Ryan Pocock rf-lf        2 0 0 0 Jarred M. 1b-c                3 0 0 0
Mikey Sylvester p             3 2 2 2 Tomas F. p-1b                 3 0 0 0
Shane Richards 1b-c           4 2 2 3 Anna C. p-c                   3 0 0 0
Adam Jansson lf-ss            3 0 1 1 Jake C. rf                    3 0 0 0
Edward Webb rf-ss-2b          3 0 0 0 Jones K. lf                   3 0 1 0
Giuseppe Basilea 3b           3 0 0 0 Joe P. 2b                     2 0 0 0
Hassan Khoder cf              3 0 0 0 Austin H. 3b                  1 1 0 0
Bella Mendes 2b               1 0 0 0
(b4) Thomas Garton rf         0 1 0 0
TEAM TOTALS                   28 6 6 6 TEAM TOTALS                   24 2 1 0
E: Ben Hitch. LOB: London Sports 2, Herts Cardinals 4. 2B: Mikey Sylvester(2), Shane Richards. HR: Shane Richards. SB: Mikey Sylvester, Thomas Garton, Tom L., Jones K., Austin H..
Herts Cardinals                   IP H R ER BB SO
Mikey Sylvester W                7.00 1 2 0 1 18
London Sports                            
Anna C.                          4.00 3 3 3 2 8
Tomas F. L                       3.00 3 3 3 1 5
PB: Ben Hitch(2), Theo Longboy, Jarred M.(2). T: 2:00. A: 65.
Herts Cardinals – Top of the 1st: Ben Hitch grounded out. Theo Longboy struck out looking. Mikey Sylvester walked, stole 2nd, batted forward to home. Shane Richards hit 2-run inside park home run, 2 RBI. Adam Jansson struck out swinging. 2 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
London Sports – Bottom of the 1st: Tom L. struck out swinging. Gray K. grounded out. Jarred M. struck out swinging. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Herts Cardinals – Top of the 2nd: Edward Webb grounded out. Giuseppe Basilea struck out looking. Hassan Khoder struck out looking. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
London Sports – Bottom of the 2nd: Tomas F. reached on dropped 3rd strike PB. Anna C. struck out looking. Jake C. struck out looking. Jones K. popped out. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Herts Cardinals – Top of the 3rd: Bella Mendes struck out swinging. Ben Hitch singled, batted forward to home. Theo Longboy grounded out. Mikey Sylvester doubled, 1 RBI. Shane Richards popped out. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
London Sports – Bottom of the 3rd: Joe P. struck out swinging. Austin H. walked, stole 2nd, advanced to 3rd on passed ball, advanced to home on error. Tom L. reached on dropped 3rd strike PB, stole 2nd, advanced to home on error. Gray K. struck out looking. Jarred M. popped out. 2 runs, 0 hits, 1 error, 0 LOB.
Herts Cardinals – Top of the 4th: Adam Jansson popped out. Edward Webb reached on dropped 3rd strike PB, advanced to 2nd on passed ball. Giuseppe Basilea struck out swinging. Hassan Khoder struck out looking. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
London Sports – Bottom of the 4th: Tomas F. struck out. Anna C. struck out looking. Jake C. struck out swinging. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Herts Cardinals – Top of the 5th: Thomas Garton walked, stole 2nd, batted forward to home. Ben Hitch struck out looking. Ryan Pocock struck out swinging. Mikey Sylvester doubled, batted forward to home, 1 RBI. Shane Richards doubled, batted forward to home, 1 RBI. Adam Jansson singled, 1 RBI. Edward Webb struck out swinging. 3 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
London Sports – Bottom of the 5th: Jones K. singled, stole 2nd. Joe P. struck out swinging. Austin H. struck out swinging. Tom L. grounded out. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Herts Cardinals – Top of the 6th: Giuseppe Basilea struck out looking. Hassan Khoder lined out. Thomas Garton walked. Ben Hitch grounded out. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
London Sports – Bottom of the 6th: Gray K. struck out looking. Jarred M. grounded out. Tomas F. struck out looking. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Herts Cardinals – Top of the 7th: Ryan Pocock struck out looking. Mikey Sylvester flied out. Shane Richards grounded out. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
London Sports – Bottom of the 7th: Anna C. struck out swinging. Jake C. struck out swinging. Jones K. struck out swinging. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
by Herts Baseball News Editor

Box Scores: Herts Cardinals 1 London Mets 24 – BBF U14 Semi Final

.

Herts Cardinals at London Mets
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Herts Cardinals          0 0 0 1 0 1 1 5
London Mets              2 9 4 9 0 24 17 2
London Mets 24, Herts Cardinals 1
London Mets Herts Cardinals
ab r h bi ab r h bi
Yuta c                        3 4 2 0 Felix Maldonado ss            2 0 0 0
Tosh cf                       2 2 1 1 Theo Longboy cf-p             2 0 0 0
(t4) Tatsuwari cf             2 1 1 2 Shane Richards p-1b           2 1 0 0
Hiro 3b                       4 4 4 4 Mikey Sylvester 3b            1 0 1 1
Matteo ss                     2 1 2 4 Ryan Pocock rf                2 0 0 0
(b3) Jamie ss                 1 2 0 0 Giuseppe Basilea lf-2b        1 0 0 0
Jackson 2b-p-1b               4 2 1 2 (b4) Hassan Khoder 2b         1 0 0 0
Jack p                        0 0 0 0 Adam Jansson 1b               1 0 0 0
(b2) Conrad lf-p              2 0 0 0 (b3) Edward Webb lf           1 0 0 0
(t4) H Sub 6 lf               1 1 1 2 Bella Mendes 2b-cf            2 0 0 0
Ben lf-2b                     3 2 1 0 Kento Sasaki c                1 0 0 0
Nick 1b                       1 1 1 0
(b2) Kazuka 1b-p              3 1 1 1
Sam rf                        0 1 0 0
(b2) Trevor rf                3 2 2 5
TEAM TOTALS                   31 24 17 21 TEAM TOTALS                   16 1 1 1
E: Hiro, Jackson, Kento Sasaki, Ryan Pocock, Adam Jansson, Bella Mendes, Edward Webb. LOB: Herts Cardinals 1, London Mets 4. 3B: Hiro, Tosh, H Sub 6. HR: Trevor(2), Matteo, Jackson, Hiro, Tatsuwari. SB: Hiro. SF: Mikey Sylvester.
London Mets                       IP H R ER BB SO
Jack W                           2.00 1 0 0 0 6
Kazuka                           2.00 0 1 0 0 4
Jackson                          1.00 0 0 0 0 1
Herts Cardinals                          
Shane Richards L                 2.00 8 15 11 7 3
Theo Longboy                     2.00 9 9 7 3 2
WP: Shane Richards(3), Theo Longboy. PB: Kento Sasaki. T: 2:19. A: 98.
Herts Cardinals – Top of the 1st: Felix Maldonado struck out swinging. Theo Longboy struck out swinging. Shane Richards struck out swinging. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
London Mets – Bottom of the 1st: Yuta walked, batted forward to home. Tosh popped out. Hiro tripled, batted forward to home, 1 RBI. Matteo singled, advanced to 2nd on wild pitch, forced out at 3rd, 1 RBI. Jackson struck out swinging. Jack walked, batted forward to 2nd. Ben reached on fielder’s choice. 2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Herts Cardinals – Top of the 2nd: Mikey Sylvester singled. Ryan Pocock struck out swinging. Giuseppe Basilea struck out swinging. Adam Jansson struck out swinging. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
London Mets – Bottom of the 2nd: Nick singled, batted forward to 2nd, advanced to 3rd on wild pitch, advanced to home on error. Sam walked, advanced to 2nd on wild pitch, advanced to home on error. Yuta walked, batted forward to home. Tosh tripled, batted forward to home, 1 RBI. Hiro walked, stole 2nd, batted forward to home. Matteo hit 3-run home run, 3 RBI. Jackson reached on error, advanced to 2nd on wild pitch, advanced to 3rd on error, batted forward to home. Conrad struck out swinging. Ben reached on error, batted forward to home. Kazuka popped out. Trevor hit 3-run home run, 3 RBI. Yuta struck out swinging. 9 runs, 4 hits, 3 errors, 0 LOB.
Herts Cardinals – Top of the 3rd: Bella Mendes struck out swinging. Kento Sasaki flied out. Felix Maldonado grounded out. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
London Mets – Bottom of the 3rd: Tosh walked, batted forward to home. Hiro hit 2-run home run, 2 RBI. Jamie walked, batted forward to home. Jackson hit 2-run home run, 2 RBI. Conrad struck out swinging. Ben walked, advanced to 2nd on passed ball. Kazuka popped out. Trevor flied out. 4 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Herts Cardinals – Top of the 4th: Theo Longboy struck out swinging. Shane Richards reached on error, advanced to 2nd on error, advanced to 3rd on error, batted forward to home. Mikey Sylvester sacrifice flied, 1 RBI. Ryan Pocock struck out swinging. 1 run, 0 hits, 2 errors, 0 LOB.
London Mets – Bottom of the 4th: Yuta singled, advanced to 3rd on error, batted forward to home. Tatsuwari struck out swinging. Hiro singled, batted forward to home, 1 RBI. Jamie walked, batted forward to home. Jackson popped out. H Sub 6 tripled, advanced to home on throw, 2 RBI. Ben singled, advanced to 2nd on error, advanced to 3rd on wild pitch, batted forward to home. Kazuka singled, batted forward to home, 1 RBI. Trevor hit 2-run inside park home run, 2 RBI. Yuta singled, batted forward to home. Tatsuwari hit 2-run inside park home run, 2 RBI. Hiro singled, advanced to 2nd on throw. Jamie grounded out. 9 runs, 9 hits, 2 errors, 1 LOB.
Herts Cardinals – Top of the 5th: Hassan Khoder struck out swinging. Edward Webb struck out swinging. Bella Mendes grounded out. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
by Herts Baseball News Editor

Black Widows lead the way in the Hunlock Series as teams use all available ninth-inning game strategies at their disposal.

(photo by Paul Holdrick)

After the official photocall, there wasn’t much time for teams to settle gently into the opening games of the Hunlock Series as the first thing they had to do was deal with some very awkward “ninth inning” game situations. This year the league stage of the competition has adopted the “ninth inning” format where each game lasts one inning only, which means that every game recreates the drama of the ninth inning.

Abel Salas and Lee Manning celebrate on a good day for the Black Widows (photo by Paul Holdrick)

The Black Widows and Red Roosters adapted to the format quickest as they quickly put wins on the scoreboard against White Lightning and Blue Dogs, respectively. White Lightning managed to recover and by the end of the day’s action they were sitting comfortably in second place after taking 3 wins out of their 4 games against the Red Roosters pushing them into third place.

The Black Widows had only the third best offence but their runs always seemed to come at the right time. Walk off hits by Jimmy McCormick and manager Colin Whitton, were just two of the timely hits by the team in black. They had the best defence in this first round of games allowing only 5 runs in their 12 games. White Lightning had the best offence scoring 27 runs.

Gilberto Molina wins the battle with Joseph Osborne-Brade on this occasion (photo by Paul Holdrick)

The Blue Dogs find themselves in last place 8 games back on the leaders. Their first round draft pick, Conner Brown, was on the DL so this must have had an effect, but one way or the other they would need to consider ways of tightening up their defence and pitching if they are going to climb up the standings. They conceded 27 runs in 12 innings.

After the first few games the teams were becoming more acclimatised to the “Ninth Inning” format and we saw defensive alignments adjust to different situations, with corners guarding lines and outfielders playing deep to stop lead-off doubles, infields playing in to stop the winning run scoring from third, sacrifice bunts to put runners into scoring positions, pinch runners, pinch hitters, delayed steals with runners on first and third to bring the runner from third base home, squeeze plays, outfields playing in to guard against runners scoring on a sacrifice fly. We even had an extreme shift attempted by the Blue Dogs. With the winning run on third base, third baseman Vincent O’Brien suggested bringing right fielder, Felix Maldonado, to stand behind the catcher to backup any passed balls or wild pitches. The umpiring crew disallowed this defensive shift as all players, with the exception of the catcher, must be in fair territory when the pitch is delivered. The only strategy which we didn’t see today was the intentional walk. It can be a very effective move in an effort to avoid facing a difficult batter or to put runners on base to create force-out situations and/or help induce double plays.

Plays of the Day

• Shortstop Ryan Hackel 360 degree spin and throw to get the runner at first base after a ball hit hard to his left.

• Jamie Gregory homerun off pitcher Ryan Hackel

• Colin Whitton walk off hit

• Ilya Dimitrov diving catch to rob Rob Jones of a double

Hunlock Series links

• Standings

• Scoreboard and upcoming schedule

Next Up

The Hunlock Series takes a two-week break as Herts will be represented in all three divisions (Under-17, Under-14 and Under-12) of the National Youth Baseball Championships to be played at Farnham Park this weekend, 13-14 September. The next Hunlock Series games are on Sunday, 21 September. Players can still sign up to play in the Series by contacting the club. They will be drafted into the teams at the next Free Agents Draft scheduled for Friday, 19 September.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Walk-off homerun clinches U14 national semi-final place for Herts Cardinals. Herts U12s are also through.

There was a double celebration for Herts Baseball Club as its Under-14 and Under-12 teams secured a place in this Saturday’s National Baseball Championship (NBC) semi-final.

UNDER-14

Herts Cardinals 19 Brentwood Bucks 8 (click to view box scores)

Three teams went into the U14 Wild Card Playoff contest which was held at Grovehill Ballpark in Hertfordshire. The winner was to be decided in a round-robin tournament format. First up were the Herts Cardinals and the Brentwood Junior Bucks. Shane Richards started on the mound for Herts and he produced a solid performance pitching three no-hit innings and striking out 5. There was an initial period of pitcher and catcher trying to get into a rhythm and Brentwood took advantage of a number of walks. Going into the fourth inning Herts had a 10-6 lead helped by a 3-run home run by Shane Richards who went 4-for-4 with 5 RBI in the game.

Shane Richards reached his regulation pitch limit and he was relieved in the fourth inning by Mikey Sylvester who pitched excellent two innings allowing only 1 run on 1 hit and striking out 5. That enabled Herts to build a commanding lead and win the game 19-8. Sylvester’s pitching performance was matched by his batting as he went 3-for-3 which included a double, 4 runs and 2 stolen bases. Ben Hitch (2-3, RBI), Ryan Pocock (1-1, R) and Kento Sasaki (1-3, 2RBI) also had a good game at the plate.

Brentwood Bucks 24 Essex Redbacks 22 (click to view box scores)

The Essex Redbacks went into this Wild Card Playoff as the favourites. They had a comfortable 20-16 lead going into the final inning of the game. Brentwood needed an epic comeback and that’s exactly what they produced. They drove in 8 runs to turn the game on its head and go into the bottom of the final inning with a 4-run lead. Alfie Denwood (4-5, 4RBI), Matt Law (2-4, RBI) and Ethan Brown (3-3, RBI) stood out in the Bucks batting lineup.

The pressure was now on the Essex Redbacks to come from behind. Brentwood recorded two quick outs, but the Redbacks kept going. They scored two runs, but at the end it was not enough as a diving catch by Elliot Burke in centerfield ended the game with a 24-22 win for the Bucks.

Essex Redbacks 13 Herts Cardinals 14 (click to view box scores)

Herts Cardinals knew that a win in the final game against the Redbacks would secure a place in the National Championships Semi-Final for the first time since 2011. The Redbacks were not out of it. A win with a sufficient run-difference would be enough for them.

Kento Sasaki was Herts’ starting pitcher and he was on fire from the very first pitch recording 3 strikeouts in the first inning. Another two Redbacks struck-out in the second inning, but Sasaki seemed to be troubled by his arm. Manager Jake Caress decided to take him out of the game as a precaution. Theo Longboy took Sasaki’s place on the mound in the pressure-cooker situation of a deciding playoff game. The main problem for most of the teams was walking too many batters, but Theo Longboy remained composed all the way to the end of the game. She got into a pitching groove and even added gentle grunting to her pitching delivery, something which we would expect to hear on the tennis courts of Wimbledon or the US Open. It certainly worked. Perhaps it will become her trademark delivery.

Going into the final inning the Redbacks had a 13-10 lead. They struck out the first two Herts batters. Ryan Pocock singled and was driven home by Theo Longboy’s base-hit. With runners on first and second, up stepped Shane Richards to drive the ball deep down the right field line for a walk-off 3-run home run to the delight of the Herts fans. That was the second home run of the day for the Herts Cardinals.  Mikey Sylvester hit a 2-run bomb in the fourth inning.

They can now look forward to a semi-final clash against the reigning national champions and top seeds, the London Mets, this Saturday, 13 September at Farnham Park in Slough (see game schedule below).

UNDER-12

(photo by Vicky Sinclair)

The BBF has added the Under-12 division to the National Baseball Championships for the first tiem this year. LYBL, London Mets and London Sports have already booked their semi-final places. There was one last place available and the Herts All Stars and Brentwood Bucks met in a double-header to determine who will take it.

24 hours before these vital games, Herts received a blow with ace pitcher Aaron Witter out of the game due to illness. The rest of the team knuckled down and produced an excellent performance. They clinched a 12-5 win in the first game followed by a 13-6 win in the second. This sends them into the U12 Semi-Final where they will face the top seed, LYBL Bulldogs.

(photo by Vicky Sinclair)

NATIONAL BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS GAMES SCHEDULE

The outcome of the Wild Card Playoffs means that for the first time Herts will be represented in all three age divisions (U17, U14 and U12) of the National Youth Baseball Championships on Saturday, 13 September.

The semi-finals and finals in all three age groups will be played at Farnham Park in Slough over two days as follows:

Saturday, 13 September

Time

Division

Away

Home

Notes

10.00am

Under 17

Tornadoes/Redbacks

London Sports

U17 Wild card

1.00pm

Under 17

London Mets

Herts Harriers

U17 Semi-final 1

4.00pm

Under 17

Wildcard winner

LYBL Bulldogs

U17 Semi-final 2

10.30am

Under 14

London Sports

LYBL Bulldogs

U14 Semi-final 1

1.30pm

Under 14

Herts Cardinals

London Mets

U14 Semi-final 2

11.00am

Under 12

London Sports

London Mets

U12 Semi-final 1

2.00pm

Under 12

Herts All Stars

LYBL Bulldogs

U12 Semi-final 2

Sunday, 14 September

Time

Division

Away

Home

Notes

10.00am

Under 17

Loser SF (lower seed)

Loser SF (higher seed)

U17 3rd/4th Game

1.00pm

Under 17

Winner SF (lower seed)

Winner SF (higher seed)

U17 YNBC Final

10.30am

Under 14

Loser SF (lower seed)

Loser SF (higher seed)

U14 3rd/4th Game

1.30pm

Under 14

Winner SF (lower seed)

Winner SF (higher seed)

U17 YNBC Final

11.00am

Under 12

Loser SF (lower seed)

Loser SF (higher seed)

U12 3rd/4th Game

2.00pm

Under 12

Winner SF (lower seed)

Winner SF (higher seed)

U12 YNBC Final

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Box Scores: Essex Redbacks 13 Herts Cardinals 14 – BBF U14 Wild Card Playoff

.

Essex Redbacks at Herts Cardinals
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Essex Redbacks           0 5 1 2 5 13 7 1
Herts Cardinals          5 2 0 3 4 14 10 4
Herts Cardinals 14, Essex Redbacks 13
Herts Cardinals Essex Redbacks
ab r h bi ab r h bi
Ben Hitch cf                  2 3 1 0 George Wilson 2b              4 2 0 0
Theo Longboy c-p              4 1 1 2 Freddie Cairns c              3 0 0 0
Shane Richards 1b             2 4 2 3 Spike Yuille p-cf             3 2 2 2
Mikey Sylvester 3b-c          3 2 3 4 Elijah Thomas 1b              2 1 1 2
Ozan Martin ss                2 1 1 0 Cole Bewick 3b                1 0 0 0
Giuseppe Basilea lf-3b        3 1 1 0 (t3) Sean Quinton 3b          2 0 0 1
Felix Maldonado 2b            1 0 0 0 Padrig Sra ss                 2 3 2 0
(t4) Bella Mendes 2b-rf       1 0 0 0 Henry Ferguson cf-p           2 1 1 1
Adam Jansson rf               1 0 0 0 Tom Cole lf                   2 1 0 0
(t4) Carl Breindel rf         1 0 0 0 Joe Wellman rf                1 3 1 0
Kento Sasaki p                0 1 0 0
(t3) Ryan Pocock lf           2 1 1 0
TEAM TOTALS                   22 14 10 9 TEAM TOTALS                   22 13 7 6
E: Ozan Martin, Giuseppe Basilea, Felix Maldonado, Bella Mendes, Freddie Cairns. LOB: Herts Cardinals 4, Essex Redbacks 6. 2B: Mikey Sylvester, Joe Wellman. 3B: Ben Hitch, Spike Yuille. HR: Mikey Sylvester, Shane Richards. SB: Shane Richards(3), Mikey Sylvester, Padrig Sra(3), Elijah Thomas(2), Joe Wellman, Spike Yuille.
Herts Cardinals                   IP H R ER BB SO
Theo Longboy W                   2.67 6 8 4 4 2
Kento Sasaki                     1.67 1 5 5 6 5
Essex Redbacks                           
Henry Ferguson L                 3.67 8 9 8 2 9
Spike Yuille                     0.33 2 5 3 5 1
HBP: by Henry Ferguson (Shane Richards). . . . WP: Kento Sasaki(9), Theo Longboy(2), Spike Yuille(7), Henry Ferguson(4). PB: Theo Longboy, Freddie Cairns(2). T: 2:45. A: 96.
Essex Redbacks – Top of the 1st: George Wilson struck out swinging. Freddie Cairns struck out swinging. Spike Yuille walked, advanced to 2nd on wild pitch, advanced to 3rd on passed ball. Elijah Thomas walked, advanced to 2nd on passed ball. Cole Bewick struck out swinging. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Herts Cardinals – Bottom of the 1st: Ben Hitch walked, advanced to 2nd on wild pitch, batted forward to 3rd, advanced to home on wild pitch. Theo Longboy struck out. Shane Richards walked, stole 2nd, stole 3rd, batted forward to home. Mikey Sylvester doubled, advanced to 3rd on wild pitch, advanced to home on wild pitch, 1 RBI. Ozan Martin walked, advanced to 2nd on passed ball, advanced to 3rd on wild pitch, advanced to home on wild pitch. Giuseppe Basilea singled, batted forward to 2nd, advanced to 3rd on passed ball, advanced to home on wild pitch. Felix Maldonado walked, batted forward to 2nd. Adam Jansson walked. 5 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Essex Redbacks – Top of the 2nd: Padrig Sra walked, batted forward to 3rd, advanced to home on wild pitch. Henry Ferguson walked, batted forward to 2nd, advanced to 3rd on wild pitch, advanced to home on wild pitch. Tom Cole walked, advanced to 2nd on wild pitch, advanced to 3rd on wild pitch, advanced to home on wild pitch. Joe Wellman walked, stole 2nd, advanced to 3rd on wild pitch, batted forward to home. George Wilson struck out swinging. Freddie Cairns struck out swinging. Spike Yuille singled, stole 2nd, advanced to 3rd on wild pitch, advanced to home on wild pitch, 1 RBI. 5 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Herts Cardinals – Bottom of the 2nd: Kento Sasaki walked, advanced to 2nd on wild pitch, advanced to 3rd on passed ball, advanced to home on error. Ben Hitch grounded out. Theo Longboy struck out swinging. Shane Richards hit by pitch, stole 2nd, batted forward to home. Mikey Sylvester singled, stole 2nd, advanced to 3rd on wild pitch, 1 RBI. Ozan Martin struck out swinging. 2 runs, 1 hit, 1 error, 1 LOB.
Essex Redbacks – Top of the 3rd: Elijah Thomas grounded out. Sean Quinton flied out. Padrig Sra singled, stole 2nd, advanced to 3rd on error, advanced to home on error. Henry Ferguson flied out. 1 run, 1 hit, 2 errors, 0 LOB.
Herts Cardinals – Bottom of the 3rd: Giuseppe Basilea struck out swinging. Felix Maldonado struck out swinging. Adam Jansson struck out swinging. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Essex Redbacks – Top of the 4th: Tom Cole struck out swinging. Joe Wellman doubled, batted forward to home. George Wilson reached on error, batted forward to home. Freddie Cairns walked, batted forward to 3rd. Spike Yuille called out by illegally batted ball. Elijah Thomas walked, batted forward to 2nd, 1 RBI. Sean Quinton walked, 1 RBI. Tom Cole flied out. 2 runs, 1 hit, 1 error, 3 LOB.
Herts Cardinals – Bottom of the 4th: Ryan Pocock struck out swinging. Ben Hitch tripled, batted forward to home. Theo Longboy grounded out, 1 RBI. Shane Richards singled, batted forward to home. Mikey Sylvester hit 2-run inside park home run, 2 RBI. Ozan Martin singled, advanced to 2nd on wild pitch. Giuseppe Basilea struck out swinging. 3 runs, 4 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Essex Redbacks – Top of the 5th: Joe Wellman walked, advanced to home on error. George Wilson reached on error, advanced to 2nd on error, advanced to 3rd on wild pitch, batted forward to home. Freddie Cairns struck out swinging. Spike Yuille tripled, batted forward to home, 1 RBI. Elijah Thomas singled, stole 2nd, stole 3rd, advanced to home on wild pitch, 1 RBI. Sean Quinton grounded out. Padrig Sra singled, stole 2nd, stole 3rd, batted forward to home. Henry Ferguson singled, 1 RBI. 5 runs, 4 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB.
Herts Cardinals – Bottom of the 5th: Bella Mendes struck out swinging. Carl Breindel struck out swinging. Ryan Pocock singled, advanced to 2nd on wild pitch, batted forward to home. Ben Hitch walked, batted forward to home. Theo Longboy singled, batted forward to home, 1 RBI. Shane Richards hit 3-run inside park home run, 3 RBI. 4 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
by Herts Baseball News Editor

Box Scores: Brentwood Bucks 24 Essex Redbacks 22 – BBF U14 Wild Card Playoff

Brentwood Bucks at Essex Redbacks
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
Brentwood Bucks          5 1 4 1 5 8 24 13 3
Essex Redbacks           5 1 5 5 4 2 22 10 5
Brentwood Bucks 24, Essex Redbacks 22
Brentwood Bucks Essex Redbacks
ab r h bi ab r h bi
Brad Murphy p-lf              3 3 1 1 Sean Quinton lf               0 1 0 0
James Rogan-Hill c-ss         5 2 1 2 (b2) Spike Yuille lf-2b       4 1 0 0
Matt Law 1b-p                 4 3 2 1 Freddie Cairns ss-p           3 4 1 1
Alfie Denwood 2b              5 3 4 4 Sam Butt p-1b                 0 1 0 0
George Flashman 3b            3 3 0 1 (b5) John Nash 1b-lf          1 1 1 0
Elliot Burke ss-p-c           4 1 1 1 Elijah Thomas 1b-ss           5 2 2 2
Luke Johnson lf-1b-ss-c       2 3 0 0 George Wilson c               3 3 1 1
Ethan Brown cf                3 3 3 1 Padrig Sra 2b-p               4 1 1 0
Caylab Morris rf              3 3 1 0 Cole Bewick 3b                2 4 2 2
Tom Cole rf                   3 2 2 3
Tom Darling cf                2 2 0 1
TEAM TOTALS                   32 24 13 11 TEAM TOTALS                   27 22 10 10
E: James Rogan-Hill, George Flashman, Elliot Burke, Freddie Cairns(2), Elijah Thomas, George Wilson, Spike Yuille. LOB: Brentwood Bucks 3, Essex Redbacks 6. 2B: Alfie Denwood, Cole Bewick(2), Tom Cole. 3B: Alfie Denwood, Ethan Brown. SB: Caylab Morris(4), Luke Johnson(3), Elliot Burke(2), Brad Murphy(2), Ethan Brown(2), George Flashman(2), James Rogan-Hill, Alfie Denwood, Padrig Sra(3), Sam Butt, Cole Bewick, Freddie Cairns.
Brentwood Bucks                   IP H R ER BB SO
Matt Law                         2.33 7 11 4 5 2
Elliot Burke                     2.00 3 7 1 6 7
Brad Murphy W                    0.33 0 4 3 4 0
Essex Redbacks                           
Sam Butt                         2.00 2 9 3 3 3
Freddie Cairns                   2.00 7 8 6 1 2
Padrig Sra                       1.00 4 7 3 3 1
HBP: by Sam Butt (Matt Law), by Sam Butt (Luke Johnson). . , by Sam Butt (George Flashman). . . . WP: Elliot Burke(5), Matt Law(2), Brad Murphy, Sam Butt(5), Padrig Sra(2). PB: Elliot Burke(4), James Rogan-Hill(4), Luke Johnson(2), George Wilson(4). T: 4:00. A: 96.
Brentwood Bucks – Top of the 1st: Brad Murphy walked, batted forward to home. James Rogan-Hill singled, advanced to 2nd on throw, advanced to 3rd on passed ball, batted forward to home, 1 RBI. Matt Law hit by pitch, advanced to 2nd on passed ball, batted forward to home. Alfie Denwood singled, advanced to 3rd on wild pitch, advanced to home on passed ball, 2 RBI. George Flashman grounded out. Elliot Burke struck out swinging. Luke Johnson hit by pitch, stole 2nd, stole 3rd, advanced to home on passed ball. 5 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Essex Redbacks – Bottom of the 1st: Sean Quinton walked, advanced to 2nd on wild pitch, batted forward to home. Freddie Cairns walked, batted forward to 3rd, advanced to home on error. Sam Butt walked, batted forward to 3rd, advanced to home on wild pitch. Elijah Thomas flied out, 1 RBI. George Wilson walked, batted forward to 2nd, advanced to 3rd on wild pitch, batted forward to home. Padrig Sra walked, advanced to 2nd on wild pitch, forced out at 3rd. Cole Bewick walked, batted forward to 2nd, advanced to 3rd on wild pitch, batted forward to home. Tom Cole reached on fielder’s choice, advanced to 2nd on wild pitch, batted forward to 3rd, 1 RBI. Tom Darling reached on fielder’s choice, 1 RBI. 5 runs, 0 hits, 1 error, 2 LOB.
Brentwood Bucks – Top of the 2nd: Caylab Morris reached on error, stole 2nd, advanced to 3rd on wild pitch, advanced to home on wild pitch. Brad Murphy struck out swinging. James Rogan-Hill struck out swinging. Matt Law grounded out. 1 run, 0 hits, 1 error, 0 LOB.
Essex Redbacks – Bottom of the 2nd: Spike Yuille struck out swinging. Freddie Cairns reached on dropped 3rd strike PB, stole 2nd, advanced to 3rd on passed ball, advanced to home on throw. Sam Butt walked, stole 2nd. Elijah Thomas struck out swinging. George Wilson struck out swinging. 1 run, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Brentwood Bucks – Top of the 3rd: Alfie Denwood grounded out. George Flashman hit by pitch, batted forward to 2nd, advanced to home on wild pitch. Elliot Burke walked, advanced to 2nd on throw, advanced to 3rd on wild pitch, batted forward to home. Luke Johnson walked, advanced to 2nd on throw, batted forward to 3rd, advanced to home on error. Ethan Brown singled, batted forward to 2nd, advanced to home on error, 1 RBI. Caylab Morris grounded out. Brad Murphy reached on error, advanced to 3rd on error, tagged out going to home. James Rogan-Hill reached on error. 4 runs, 1 hit, 2 errors, 1 LOB.
Essex Redbacks – Bottom of the 3rd: Padrig Sra struck out swinging. Cole Bewick doubled, advanced to 3rd on passed ball, batted forward to home. Tom Cole doubled, advanced to 3rd on wild pitch, advanced to home on passed ball, 1 RBI. Tom Darling walked, advanced to 3rd on passed ball, advanced to home on wild pitch. Spike Yuille reached on dropped 3rd strike PB, advanced to 2nd on error, advanced to 3rd on passed ball, advanced to home on wild pitch. Freddie Cairns walked, advanced to 2nd on passed ball, advanced to 3rd on wild pitch, batted forward to home. Sam Butt walked, advanced to 2nd on wild pitch, batted forward to 3rd. Elijah Thomas singled, 1 RBI. 5 runs, 3 hits, 1 error, 2 LOB.
Brentwood Bucks – Top of the 4th: Matt Law flied out. Alfie Denwood tripled, batted forward to home. George Flashman grounded out, 1 RBI. Elliot Burke struck out. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Essex Redbacks – Bottom of the 4th: George Wilson struck out. Padrig Sra singled, stole 2nd, stole 3rd, stole home. Cole Bewick walked, stole 2nd, batted forward to 3rd, advanced to home on passed ball. Tom Cole walked, batted forward to 2nd, advanced to 3rd on passed ball, batted forward to home. Tom Darling walked, advanced to 2nd on passed ball, batted forward to 3rd, advanced to home on wild pitch. Spike Yuille flied out. Freddie Cairns singled, advanced to 2nd on throw, advanced to 3rd on wild pitch, advanced to home on passed ball, 1 RBI. 5 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Brentwood Bucks – Top of the 5th: Luke Johnson struck out swinging. Ethan Brown tripled, advanced to home on throw. Caylab Morris singled, stole 2nd, batted forward to home. Brad Murphy singled, advanced to 2nd on throw, stole 3rd, batted forward to home, 1 RBI. James Rogan-Hill reached on fielder’s choice, stole 2nd, batted forward to home, 1 RBI. Matt Law singled, batted forward to home. Alfie Denwood doubled, 2 RBI. 5 runs, 5 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Essex Redbacks – Bottom of the 5th: John Nash walked, batted forward to 2nd, advanced to 3rd on passed ball, batted forward to home. Elijah Thomas singled, advanced to 2nd on passed ball, batted forward to home. George Wilson walked, batted forward to 3rd, advanced to home on wild pitch. Padrig Sra flied out. Cole Bewick doubled, advanced to 3rd on wild pitch, batted forward to home, 2 RBI. Tom Cole singled, advanced to 3rd on passed ball, 1 RBI. Tom Darling struck out swinging. Spike Yuille flied out. 4 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Brentwood Bucks – Top of the 6th: George Flashman walked, stole 2nd, advanced to 3rd on passed ball, advanced to home on wild pitch. Elliot Burke struck out swinging. Luke Johnson walked, advanced to 2nd on passed ball, stole 3rd, advanced to home on error. Ethan Brown singled, stole 2nd, stole 3rd, advanced to home on wild pitch. Caylab Morris walked, stole 2nd, stole 3rd, advanced to home on wild pitch. Brad Murphy walked, stole 2nd, advanced to 3rd on throw, batted forward to home. James Rogan-Hill popped out. Matt Law singled, batted forward to 3rd, advanced to home on error, 1 RBI. Alfie Denwood singled, advanced to 2nd on error, advanced to 3rd on throw, stole home. George Flashman reached on error, stole 2nd, advanced to 3rd on throw, batted forward to home. Elliot Burke singled, stole 2nd, stole 3rd, 1 RBI. Luke Johnson flied out. 8 runs, 4 hits, 2 errors, 1 LOB.
Essex Redbacks – Bottom of the 6th: Freddie Cairns struck out. John Nash singled, forced out at 2nd. Elijah Thomas reached on fielder’s choice, batted forward to home. George Wilson singled, advanced to home on error, 1 RBI. Padrig Sra flied out. 2 runs, 2 hits, 1 error, 0 LOB.