Author: Herts Baseball News Editor

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Box scores: Herts Ravens 3 London Mets II 6 – AAA League

Herts Ravens at London Mets II
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Herts Ravens 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 3 2 5
London Mets II 2 0 3 1 0 0 0 6 5 4

 

London Mets II 6, Herts Ravens 3
London Mets II Herts Ravens
ab r h bi ab r h bi
DIX Jamie c 4 2 1 0 CASAL Jr Carlos ss 3 0 0 1
WALKER cf 3 0 0 0 DIMITROV Aspi 2b-rf 3 1 1 0
Juan ss 2 1 0 1 GREEN Liam p-2b 3 0 0 0
FLOOD Rory dh 3 1 0 0 LIPSTOCK Seth lf 2 1 0 0
PETERS Jack 1b 3 1 1 1 CATTERMOLE Mike cf 4 0 0 1
Diego 2b 3 0 2 1 VANGUNDY Callum 3b 3 1 0 1
Dexter lf 3 0 0 0 EVEREX-ARMSTRONG Tom 1b 2 0 0 0
Matt rf 2 1 1 0 DIMITROV Ilya rf 1 0 0 0
(b4) H Sub 1 rf 1 0 0 0 (b5) RUSSELL Nick pr-p 1 0 0 0
Taichi p-3b 3 0 0 0 CARESS Jake c 4 0 1 0
H Sub 15 rf-p 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 27 6 5 3 TEAM TOTALS 26 3 2 3

 

E: Taichi(3), Juan, EVEREX-ARMSTRONG Tom(2), DIMITROV Aspi, CASAL Jr Carlos, VANGUNDY
Callum. DP: London Mets II 1. LOB: London Mets II 4, Herts Ravens 15. SB: WALKER(2),
Matt(2), FLOOD Rory, PETERS Jack, DIX Jamie, VANGUNDY Callum(2), LIPSTOCK Seth(2),
CATTERMOLE Mike, CARESS Jake, DIMITROV Aspi. CS: LIPSTOCK Seth. SF: Juan.

 

London Mets II IP H R ER BB SO
Taichi W 4.00 1 1 0 9 5
H Sub 15 3.00 1 2 2 3 3
Herts Ravens
GREEN Liam L 4.00 4 6 1 0 3
RUSSELL Nick 2.00 1 0 0 0 0

 

HBP: by H Sub 15 (DIMITROV Aspi). WP: Taichi(2). T: 2:20. A: 89.
Herts Ravens – Top of the 1st:
CASAL Jr Carlos walked, batted forward to 3rd.
DIMITROV Aspi grounded out.
GREEN Liam grounded out.
LIPSTOCK Seth walked, stole 2nd.
CATTERMOLE Mike grounded out.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
London Mets II – Bottom of the 1st:
DIX Jamie singled, stole 2nd, batted forward to home.
WALKER struck out.
Juan sacrifice flied, 1 RBI.
FLOOD Rory reached on error, stole 2nd, batted forward to home.
PETERS Jack singled, advanced to 2nd on throw, 1 RBI.
Diego grounded out.
2 runs, 2 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB.
Herts Ravens – Top of the 2nd:
VANGUNDY Callum reached on error, stole 2nd, advanced to 3rd on error, batted forward
to home.
EVEREX-ARMSTRONG Tom struck out looking.
DIMITROV Ilya walked, advanced to 2nd on error, batted forward to 3rd.
CARESS Jake reached on error, batted forward to 2nd.
CASAL Jr Carlos walked, 1 RBI.
DIMITROV Aspi struck out swinging.
GREEN Liam struck out looking.
1 run, 0 hits, 2 errors, 3 LOB.
London Mets II – Bottom of the 2nd:
Dexter popped out.
Taichi grounded out.
Matt grounded out.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Herts Ravens – Top of the 3rd:
LIPSTOCK Seth walked, caught trying to steal 2nd.
CATTERMOLE Mike struck out swinging.
VANGUNDY Callum walked, advanced to 2nd on error, batted forward to 3rd.
EVEREX-ARMSTRONG Tom reached on error, forced out at 2nd.
DIMITROV Ilya reached on fielder’s choice.
0 runs, 0 hits, 1 error, 2 LOB.
London Mets II – Bottom of the 3rd:
DIX Jamie reached on error, batted forward to 2nd, advanced to home on error.
WALKER grounded out.
Juan reached on error, advanced to home on error.
FLOOD Rory flied out.
PETERS Jack reached on error, stole 2nd, batted forward to home.
Diego singled, 1 RBI.
Dexter grounded out.
3 runs, 1 hit, 3 errors, 1 LOB.
Herts Ravens – Top of the 4th:
CARESS Jake singled, stole 2nd, advanced to 3rd on wild pitch.
CASAL Jr Carlos flied out.
DIMITROV Aspi walked, stole 2nd.
GREEN Liam walked.
LIPSTOCK Seth struck out looking.
CATTERMOLE Mike grounded out.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 3 LOB.
London Mets II – Bottom of the 4th:
Taichi grounded out.
Matt singled, stole 2nd, stole 3rd, advanced to home on error.
DIX Jamie struck out looking.
WALKER reached on error, stole 2nd, stole 3rd.
Juan struck out swinging.
1 run, 1 hit, 1 error, 1 LOB.
Herts Ravens – Top of the 5th:
VANGUNDY Callum reached on error, advanced to 2nd on wild pitch, advanced to 3rd on
wild pitch, forced out at home.
EVEREX-ARMSTRONG Tom walked, advanced to 2nd on wild pitch, batted forward to 3rd.
DIMITROV Ilya walked, RUSSELL Nick ran for batter, batted forward to 2nd.
CARESS Jake struck out swinging.
CASAL Jr Carlos grounded out.
0 runs, 0 hits, 1 error, 2 LOB.
London Mets II – Bottom of the 5th:
FLOOD Rory popped out.
PETERS Jack grounded out.
Diego singled, forced out at 2nd.
Dexter reached on fielder’s choice.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Herts Ravens – Top of the 6th:
DIMITROV Aspi singled, batted forward to home.
GREEN Liam walked, forced out at 2nd.
LIPSTOCK Seth reached on fielder’s choice, stole 2nd, batted forward to home.
CATTERMOLE Mike reached on fielder’s choice, batted forward to 2nd, stole 3rd, tagged
out going to home, 1 RBI.
VANGUNDY Callum reached on fielder’s choice, stole 2nd, 1 RBI.
EVEREX-ARMSTRONG Tom walked.
RUSSELL Nick hit into double play.
2 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
London Mets II – Bottom of the 6th:
Taichi grounded out.
H Sub 1 flied out.
DIX Jamie flied out.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Herts Ravens – Top of the 7th:
CARESS Jake struck out looking.
CASAL Jr Carlos struck out swinging.
DIMITROV Aspi hit by pitch.
GREEN Liam popped out.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
by Herts Baseball News Editor

Falcons look to end Mets’ unbeaten run this Sunday and blow the title race wide open

Herts Falcons’ wins on Sunday moved them up to second place in the NBL standings to set up an almighty encounter with the London Mets. It is arguably the biggest game of the NBL season so far – first against second. A sweep for Herts will move them into joint first place with the Mets, however if the Mets prevail they will open up a 3 or even a 4-game gap between them and the next team in the chasing pack, which would virtually secure an automatic postseason spot for the Mets.

The Londoners are still unbeaten this season (8-0) reminiscent of the invincible Mets of 2008 who went on to win the NBL title. The Southampton Mustangs went close to ending their winning streak two weeks ago taking them into extra innings but eventually losing 1-0. 3 weeks ago the Herts Falcons travelled to Finsbury Park and also came close but lost 4-2. That game proved to be a fiery affair. There isn’t any specific history of ill-feeling between the two teams. It has just been a case of the two teams fired up in what is proving to be a very competitive and exciting season.

In their first meeting the pitching matchups were Julian Summers (Mets) versus Darrin Ward (Falcons) in game one and Pietro Sollecito (Mets) versus Robbie Unsell (Falcons) in game two. Sollecito has been sensational leading the League in ERA (0.78) so he is a certainty to start one of the games, but beyond this it is difficult to predict the pitching matchups for this Sunday as both managers are spoilt for choice with large number of other starting pitching options.

Sunday’s clash is also a meeting of what are considered to be the two largest baseball clubs in Great Britain. Below we have put together a chart comparing various aspects of the two clubs. In terms of infrastructure and facilities they are more or less equal. The two organisations are also equal in terms of the number of their affiliated teams, with 7 teams each. However, the London Mets have a superior championship-winning record with 6 league titles, while Herts have 2.

Statistically this season the Mets have been outstanding so as expected they rank higher in all main categories with the exception of home runs where the Falcons have a slight advantage after home runs by Cris Hiche and Ryan Bird so far this season.

Herts will have home field advantage this Sunday and they will count on their loyal supporters to come out in force and help the team end London’s run. (click here for address and directions to Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead). Game starts at 1pm.

Two other top-of-the-table games from the BBF Single-A League will be played on the same day at Grovehill Ballpark. The Herts Eagles host the Richmond Dukes at 10am while the Herts Raptors will play the Essex Redbacks immediately after that from around 2pm.

 

HERTS FALCONS

LONDON METS

CLUB FACTS

1996

Year founded

1998

2

Adult baseball diamonds

1

0

Youth baseball diamonds

1

0

Softball diamonds

1

NUMBER OF BBF LEAGUE TEAMS

1

National Baseball League (NBL)

1

1

AAA League

2

1

AA League

1

2

A League

1

1

U17 League

1

1

U14 League

1

7

Total

7

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS (Runner-up in brackets)

0 (1)

NBL

2 (0)

1 (0)

AAA League

0 (0)

0 (1)

AA League

0 (0)

0 (0)

A League

0 (0)

0 (0)

U17 League

2 (2)

1 (1)

U14 League

2 (1)

2 (3)

Total

6 (3)

NBL 2013 SEASON

8-4

Wins-Losses

8-0

2nd

League position

1st

W2

Current streak

W8

7.25 (3rd)

Runs scored per game

8.13 (1st)

4.33 (3rd)

Runs allowed per game

2.63 (1st)

.305 (5th)

Batting average

.311 (3rd)

.365 (5th)

Slugging average

.388 (4th)

2 (3rd)

Home runs

0 (-)

3.14 (5th)

ERA

2.00 (2nd)

16

Fielding Errors

11

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Raptors end losing streak and are back in playoff race

BBF A-League, Herts Raptors 18 London Marauders 13

written by Glen Downer

A beautiful morning greeted us as we all gathered in Finsbury Park ready for what promised to be a tough matchup for both teams. Batting first the Raptors made their intentions known straight from the first pitch, hit after hit ensued, and before the Marauders could even get warmed up the bases were full of Raptor baserunners, Brodie Caress picking up the first of his three hits on the day, Glen Downer driving one through the hole in his first AB of the 2013 season. Arnie Longboy stroked a clean hit to straightaway centre, followed by Ken Pike with another signature line drive for a couple of what would be 3 RBI’s on the day! Before we knew it, we had 8 runs on the board, and a lead that would never be lost.

Brodie Caress then stepped up on the hill as the starting pitcher for the Raptors and settled in quickly throwing strikes and making it difficult for the Marauders to hit, sadly a few Raptor errors allowed London to get a few guys on base and score a couple of runs, but we still had a healthy lead going into the second inning. 3 more runs for the Raptors in the top of the second after another great display of hitting created a nice cushion for Brodie to continue his great pitching, allowing only 2 hits on the day and 4 earned runs in 3 innings, he managed to strike out an impressive 5 batters!

Sadly due to pitch count Brodie had to be relieved following the third inning, but up stepped the boy wonder, side armer Will Zucker. Will proved to be a great force on the mound, hitter after hitter failed to make good contact, totally bemused by the great movement from Zucker’s pitches. Unable to contend with a combination of fastballs, sliders and curves the Marauders were limited to just 7 hits from Zucker, who also fanned an impressive 5 batters over 5.1 innings, also allowing just 4 earned runs. Once again the curse of the young pitcher struck and Will had to be relieved, but up stepped the reliable Jeff Witter to close things out for us.

Just requiring two outs to seal a magnificent win against tough opposition Jeff didn’t disappoint. After inheriting a baserunner from an early hit, Jeff allowed a walk and just one hit which drove in a single Marauder run. Then with some fine glove work and a very on-the-ball Ken Pike who put on a great display after relieving the always solid Jake Caress behind the plate, the final out was made at first to end a great ballgame.

Despite a few infield errors, which can largely be blamed on the poor field conditions at Finsbury Park, the Raptors were solid, and put on a fine display of hitting and great base running, with nearly all players picking up stolen bases, Ken Pike once again leading the pack with 3, clearly going for the stolen base award once again! Well done to ALL the Raptors that brought home a much needed victory and keep those post-season hopes alive.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Eagles comeback in the bottom of the ninth with 2 outs to go top of the league

MK Coyotes 19 Herts Eagles 20

Grovehill Ballpark, Hemel Hempstead

written by Duncan Hoyle

MK Coyotes were the visitors to face the Herts Eagles on a warm and sunny day at Grovehill.

With little more than a month of the BBF Single A season gone, already the impressive Coyotes were looking to pull away at the top of Pool A, helped by an opening day win over the Eagles and a hard fought victory last Sunday against the Herts Raptors.

The Eagles were handed a pre-game boost however, with the news that the AA Hawks had no game in their already disrupted season. This meant that several Hawks were eager to drop down to play for the Eagles to get in some much needed game time. Manager Duncan Hoyle had no hesitation in taking advantage of this, with Andrew Slater, Ilya Dimitrov and Kal Dimitrov inserted into the Eagles starting lineup.

And it was former Raptors manager Andrew Slater who took the mound for pitching duties, up against MK’s John Suk, Suk already with 2 pitching wins to his name this season.

Pitching dominated the early exchanges, both Slater and Suk got into a good rhythm. Defence was well on top and at the end of the 4th the Eagles were 6 – 4 in front. Serge Plata was having a tremendous game at second base for the Eagles, being involved in several tag outs and hitting 5 for 6 during the day.

In the 5th and 6th the Eagles were able to build up their lead, increasing the advantage to 15 – 6 at the end of the 7th, coming within 1 run of forcing the mercy rule win.

However the determined Coyotes always looked capable of hitting their way back into the game, and with Slaters arm now tiring he came out of the game with no outs and the bases loaded in the top of the 8th. Duncan Hoyle came in to relieve and had no time to find his range, as MK started their comeback in agressive fashion. By end of the half inning the Coyotes had scored 10 to edge in front for the first time in the game. The Eagles hit back with 3 to have a 2 run lead going into the 9th.

The Coyotes scored 3 in the top half of the inning to lead by a single. Certainly the Eagles were confident they could score the two require to win but within a couple of minutes the Eagles dug out was in near disbelieving silence as first Slater was grounded out by a tremedous play from short stop and then for the first time on the day Serge Plata failed to make base thanks to a good catch from the Coyotes catcher and manager Mo Hamden.

It really was last chance saloon for the Eagles and with a demorilising defeat now staring them right in the face, Duncan Hoyle turned to feared slugger Adrian Smithers, who had injured himself in the pre-game warm up, to pinch hit with 2 outs and no one on base. With 2 strikes on him he somehow managed to drive a pitch to left field to get himself on first base. Despite being unable to run properly, and with no subs left able to pinch run, he found the strenght to steal 2nd a couple of pitches later and get himself in scoring position. Tom Kosak, who had had a productive day with the bat, was now up to bat and he managed to hit an infield slow roller to get on base and bat Smithers round to 3rd. Kosak stole 2nd base on the next pitch to leave the evergreen Kal Dimitrov in the batters box looking for the vital hit. And Dimitrov was able to make contact to get a hit just over the infield into shallow outfield, leaving just enough time for Smithers to hobble round to score and Kosak to get home to leave the Eagles bench jubilant.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Box scores: Mustangs 3 Falcons 4 – NBL

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

 

Herts Falcons 4, Southampton Mustangs 3
Herts Falcons Southampton Mustangs
ab r h bi ab r h bi
HICHE Cristobal cf 3 1 2 0 AIZPURA Victor 2b 3 1 1 0
CLARK Phil 3b 3 1 0 0 DAVIS Ben dh 3 1 0 0
BIRD Ryan 1b 1 0 0 0 RODRIGUEZ Alberto cf 3 1 2 3
(b6) UNSELL Robbie p-rf 0 0 0 0 DAVISON Gary 1b 4 0 1 0
WARD Darrin 1b-dh 2 0 1 1 FROSINA Justin ss-p 4 0 1 0
NIEDRINGHAUS Kevin lf 3 0 1 1 SIERRA Oscar c 3 0 0 0
(t6) CATTERMOLE Mike rf 0 0 0 0 JOHNSON rf 2 0 0 0
PEREZ Felix rf 2 0 0 0 BIBBY Richard 3b 3 0 0 0
(t6) VELAZCO-CARUS Carlos lf 0 0 0 0 SAIONJI Kimiyoshi lf 3 0 0 0
HARE Louis ss 3 0 0 0 ZONDRA Tomas p 0 0 0 0
WESTFALLEN Dave c 3 0 0 0
(t7) MANNING Lee rf-c 0 0 0 0
BLOSE John 2b 2 1 0 0
OSBORN Michael p 1 1 0 1
TEAM TOTALS 23 4 4 3 TEAM TOTALS 28 3 5 3

 

E: HARE Louis(2), CLARK Phil, AIZPURA Victor(2). DP: Southampton Mustangs 1. LOB:
Herts Falcons 7, Southampton Mustangs 8. 2B: FROSINA Justin. HR: RODRIGUEZ Alberto.
SB: NIEDRINGHAUS Kevin, PEREZ Felix, HICHE Cristobal, BLOSE John, RODRIGUEZ Alberto,
DAVIS Ben, AIZPURA Victor, SAIONJI Kimiyoshi. SF: RODRIGUEZ Alberto.

 

Herts Falcons IP H R ER BB SO
OSBORN Michael W 6.00 4 2 2 0 6
UNSELL Robbie 1.00 1 1 1 1 2
Southampton Mustangs
ZONDRA Tomas L 6.00 4 4 4 6 5

 

HBP: by OSBORN Michael (AIZPURA Victor). . . . . , by OSBORN Michael (JOHNSON). . WP:
OSBORN Michael(2), UNSELL Robbie, ZONDRA Tomas(2). PB: MANNING Lee. T: 16:10. A: 89.
Southampton Mustangs – Top of the 1st:
AIZPURA Victor hit by pitch, advanced to 2nd on wild pitch, batted forward to home.
DAVIS Ben grounded out.
RODRIGUEZ Alberto sacrifice flied, 1 RBI.
DAVISON Gary singled.
FROSINA Justin struck out swinging.
1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Herts Falcons – Bottom of the 1st:
HICHE Cristobal struck out swinging.
CLARK Phil flied out.
BIRD Ryan struck out swinging.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Southampton Mustangs – Top of the 2nd:
SIERRA Oscar, touched by own batted ball, called out.
JOHNSON flied out.
BIBBY Richard struck out swinging.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Herts Falcons – Bottom of the 2nd:
WARD Darrin grounded out.
NIEDRINGHAUS Kevin struck out swinging.
PEREZ Felix walked, stole 2nd.
HARE Louis grounded out.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Southampton Mustangs – Top of the 3rd:
SAIONJI Kimiyoshi reached on error, stole 2nd, batted forward to 3rd.
AIZPURA Victor singled, stole 2nd, tagged out going to 3rd.
DAVIS Ben struck out swinging.
RODRIGUEZ Alberto struck out swinging.
DAVISON Gary reached on fielder’s choice.
0 runs, 1 hit, 1 error, 2 LOB.
Herts Falcons – Bottom of the 3rd:
WESTFALLEN Dave struck out swinging.
BLOSE John walked, batted forward to home.
HICHE Cristobal singled, batted forward to 3rd, advanced to home on wild pitch.
CLARK Phil walked, batted forward to 2nd, advanced to 3rd on wild pitch, batted
forward to home.
OSBORN Michael walked, advanced to 2nd on wild pitch, batted forward to home, 1 RBI.
WARD Darrin singled, advanced to 2nd on wild pitch, batted forward to 3rd, 1 RBI.
NIEDRINGHAUS Kevin singled, stole 2nd, 1 RBI.
PEREZ Felix grounded out.
HARE Louis grounded out.
4 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Southampton Mustangs – Top of the 4th:
FROSINA Justin doubled, advanced to 3rd on wild pitch.
SIERRA Oscar popped out.
JOHNSON grounded out.
BIBBY Richard flied out.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Herts Falcons – Bottom of the 4th:
WESTFALLEN Dave flied out.
BLOSE John flied out.
HICHE Cristobal singled, stole 2nd.
CLARK Phil grounded out.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Southampton Mustangs – Top of the 5th:
SAIONJI Kimiyoshi lined out.
AIZPURA Victor grounded out.
DAVIS Ben struck out swinging.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Herts Falcons – Bottom of the 5th:
OSBORN Michael flied out.
WARD Darrin walked.
NIEDRINGHAUS Kevin struck out swinging.
PEREZ Felix grounded out.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Southampton Mustangs – Top of the 6th:
RODRIGUEZ Alberto hit solo home run, 1 RBI.
DAVISON Gary reached on error, advanced to 2nd on error, batted forward to 3rd,
forced out at home.
FROSINA Justin struck out swinging.
SIERRA Oscar reached on error, batted forward to 3rd.
JOHNSON hit by pitch, batted forward to 2nd.
BIBBY Richard reached on fielder’s choice.
SAIONJI Kimiyoshi popped out.
1 run, 1 hit, 2 errors, 3 LOB.
Herts Falcons – Bottom of the 6th:
HARE Louis reached on error, forced out at 2nd.
WESTFALLEN Dave hit into double play.
BLOSE John reached on error, stole 2nd.
HICHE Cristobal walked.
CLARK Phil grounded out.
0 runs, 0 hits, 2 errors, 2 LOB.
Southampton Mustangs – Top of the 7th:
AIZPURA Victor lined out.
DAVIS Ben walked, advanced to 2nd on wild pitch, stole 3rd, batted forward to home.
RODRIGUEZ Alberto singled, stole 2nd, batted forward to 3rd, tagged out going to
home, 1 RBI.
DAVISON Gary reached on dropped 3rd strike PB.
FROSINA Justin bunted foul on 2nd strike.
1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
by Herts Baseball News Editor

Box scores: Mustangs 0 Falcons 2 – NBL

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

 

Herts Falcons 2, Southampton Mustangs 0
Herts Falcons Southampton Mustangs
ab r h bi ab r h bi
HICHE Cristobal cf 2 0 0 0 AIZPURA Victor 2b 3 0 0 0
CLARK Phil 3b 2 1 0 0 DAVIS Ben 1b 2 0 0 0
BIRD Ryan c 3 1 2 2 RODRIGUEZ Alberto cf 3 0 1 0
WARD Darrin 1b 3 0 0 0 DAVISON Gary p 3 0 0 0
NIEDRINGHAUS Kevin lf 3 0 0 0 FROSINA Justin ss 3 0 0 0
(t7) CATTERMOLE Mike lf 0 0 0 0 SOSA Jose rf 3 0 0 0
VELAZCO-CARUS Carlos rf 2 0 0 0 SIERRA Oscar c 2 0 1 0
(b5) OSBORN Michael rf 1 0 0 0 BIBBY Richard 3b 2 0 0 0
HARE Louis ss 2 0 0 0 SAIONJI Kimiyoshi lf 2 0 1 0
WESTFALLEN Dave dh 1 0 1 0
(t4) PEREZ Felix dh 1 0 1 0
BLOSE John 2b 2 0 0 0
UNSELL Robbie p 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 22 2 4 2 TEAM TOTALS 23 0 3 0

 

E: AIZPURA Victor. LOB: Southampton Mustangs 3, Herts Falcons 4. 2B: BIRD Ryan. HR:
BIRD Ryan. SB: RODRIGUEZ Alberto(2). CS: RODRIGUEZ Alberto.

 

Herts Falcons IP H R ER BB SO
UNSELL Robbie W 7.00 3 0 0 1 10
Southampton Mustangs
DAVISON Gary L 6.00 4 2 2 2 5

 

T: 2:10. A: 78.
Southampton Mustangs – Top of the 1st:
AIZPURA Victor grounded out.
DAVIS Ben walked.
RODRIGUEZ Alberto struck out swinging.
DAVISON Gary struck out swinging.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Herts Falcons – Bottom of the 1st:
HICHE Cristobal struck out swinging.
CLARK Phil reached on error.
BIRD Ryan flied out.
WARD Darrin grounded out.
0 runs, 0 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB.
Southampton Mustangs – Top of the 2nd:
FROSINA Justin struck out swinging.
SOSA Jose struck out swinging.
SIERRA Oscar singled.
BIBBY Richard flied out.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Herts Falcons – Bottom of the 2nd:
NIEDRINGHAUS Kevin lined out.
VELAZCO-CARUS Carlos struck out swinging.
HARE Louis struck out swinging.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Southampton Mustangs – Top of the 3rd:
SAIONJI Kimiyoshi flied out.
AIZPURA Victor struck out swinging.
DAVIS Ben grounded out.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Herts Falcons – Bottom of the 3rd:
WESTFALLEN Dave singled, forced out at 2nd.
BLOSE John reached on fielder’s choice, tagged out going to 2nd.
HICHE Cristobal walked.
CLARK Phil grounded out.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Southampton Mustangs – Top of the 4th:
RODRIGUEZ Alberto singled, stole 2nd, stole 3rd, caught trying to steal home.
DAVISON Gary popped out.
FROSINA Justin grounded out.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Herts Falcons – Bottom of the 4th:
BIRD Ryan doubled, batted forward to 3rd.
WARD Darrin grounded out.
NIEDRINGHAUS Kevin struck out swinging.
VELAZCO-CARUS Carlos struck out swinging.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Southampton Mustangs – Top of the 5th:
SOSA Jose struck out swinging.
SIERRA Oscar popped out.
BIBBY Richard struck out swinging.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Herts Falcons – Bottom of the 5th:
HARE Louis flied out.
PEREZ Felix singled, batted forward to 3rd.
BLOSE John grounded out.
HICHE Cristobal grounded out.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Southampton Mustangs – Top of the 6th:
SAIONJI Kimiyoshi singled, batted forward to 2nd.
AIZPURA Victor bunted out.
DAVIS Ben struck out swinging.
RODRIGUEZ Alberto grounded out.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Herts Falcons – Bottom of the 6th:
CLARK Phil walked, batted forward to home.
BIRD Ryan hit 2-run home run, 2 RBI.
WARD Darrin grounded out.
NIEDRINGHAUS Kevin grounded out.
OSBORN Michael grounded out.
2 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Southampton Mustangs – Top of the 7th:
DAVISON Gary popped out.
FROSINA Justin struck out swinging.
SOSA Jose struck out swinging.
by Herts Baseball News Editor

Residents of St Albans show appetite for baseball

While the Herts U11 and U14 players were competing at the youth baseball event in Richmond, a dozen of the club’s adult and U17 league players travelled to the nearby city of St Albans in Hertfordshire to promote the game of baseball in the community.

St Albans City and District Council had invited Herts Baseball Club as well as 16 other sports to take part in this event which included the opening of a new beach volleyball venue at Verulamium Park in St Albans made with 4000 tonnes of sand taken directly from the 2012 London Olympics venue at Horse Guards Parade.

The Mayor of St Albans City and District, Councillor Annie Brewster, opened the new venue and the sports activities began. The Park started to fill up and by early afternoon Herts Baseball had attracted many members of the public who showed interest to give baseball a go. They had a chance to try all aspects of the game – batting, throwing, catching, fielding and more. The majority of them were boys and girls some as young as 3 years of age, but there were also some older teenagers and a large number of mums who wanted to play, which was great to see. Herts Baseball Club certainly has the ability to offer baseball or softball to male and female players of all ages.

As crowds stated to gather around the baseball area and soon there were enough members f the public to start a game. It began with 6 or 7 players per team, and quickly rose to 15+ players per team, so at that point it became difficult to give everyone the full baseball game experience, but all those involved received promotional materials and details of how to get involved on a more regular basis with the Herts youth and adult league teams.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

New generation of Herts 9 and 10-year-olds impress in U14 game vs Redbacks

The Herts U14 and U11 teams travelled to Richmond on Saturday for a large youth baseball event. Jennie Lynch very kindly kept a play-by-play record of the U14 doubleheader with the Forest Glade Redbacks. Here is the report.

(GAME 1) Herts Cardinals (U14) vs Forest Glade Redbacks (U14)

Herts Cardinals lineup

Pitcher: Keanu Wood

Catcher: Ben Jones

First Base: Adam White

Second Base: Alex Trautman

Third Base: Ozan Martin

Short Stop: Christian Lynch

Right Field: Brodie Caress

Centre Field: Redbacks Loan Player

Left Field: James Roberts

 

Herts batted first but it was three up and three down for Keanu, James and Adam as they struggled against a strong pitcher. Redbacks were then up and Keanu pitched a mix of strikes and balls. The Redbacks got a total of five runs in the first inning two on hits and one on a wild pitch. Ozan tagged a player at third for one out. 5-0

Second inning saw Ben up first and he got a hit and got to first, then stole second and third and came home during the pitches for Ozan who earned a walk. Christian Lynch also earned a walk. Alex Trautman struck out as did the Redbacks loan player. Brodie Caress then hit a double to bring Ozan home. Keanu struck out. 5-2. The Redbacks earned another 5 runs in the second to make it 10-2

Third inning. James, Adam and Ben all struck out. Redbacks batted and Herts got two batters out with a nice tag and then play between Keanu and Adam to get the second batter out at first. Three runs were earned by the Redbacks until their loan player to Herts made a beautiful, instinctive catch in centre-field to end the innings. 13-2

Fourth innings. Ozan got a hit but was out at first. Christian struck out. Alex earned a walk. The Redbacks loan player also got a walk. Brodie struck out. Redbacks batting and Ozan made a nice play at third for the first out. Keanu then got a good strike out but had reached 90 pitches so Alex Trautman stepped up to end the inning and Keanu went to short stop with Christian now at second base. Alex pitched well for a first outing the Redbacks earned five runs and the game was called 18-2.

 

(GAME 2) Herts Cardinals (U14) vs Forest Glade Redbacks (U14)

Herts Cardinals lineup

Pitcher- Ben Jones

Catcher- James Roberts

First Base- Adam White

Second Base- Christian Lynch

Third Base- Ozan Martin

Short Stop- Alex Trautman

Right Field- Brodie Caress

Centre Field- Keanu Wood (for first inning and then Josh Jones joined from the U11s and Keanu moved to left field)

Left Field- Loan Player

 

Redbacks up first this time. Ben settling in but still 5 runs scored. For Herts, Christian first up and earned a walk, James then hit a fly ball but was caught out. Adam struck out. Ben earned a walk as did Ozan but with the bases loaded Alex struck out to end the inning. 5-0

Second Inning- Ben got two strike outs but unfortunately the Redbacks then struck a two run home run. This unsettled Herts and the Redbacks earned another three to end their batting. Herts were up and Keanu struck out. Josh then earned a walk and Brodie got a hit to get to first. Christian earned another walk to load the bases again. James struck out and then Adam got a hit but unfortunately Brodie was out at third to end the inning. 10-0

Third Inning- Ben again got two strike outs on the Redbacks second and third batters and with two down Herts got the final batter out at home limiting the Redbacks to 2 runs. Herts were up again and Ben got a hit to get to first and then Ozan followed with the same. Alex struck out and Keanu came up to bat when a wild pitch gave Ben the opportunity to earn Herts first run of the game. Keanu then got a hit to get to first. Josh struck out on a full count and then Brodie got a hit but was out at first to end the inning. 12-1

Fourth inning- the first batter got a good hit out to leftfield but Ozan made a nice stop at third. Ben struck the next batter out. One runner then came home to make it 13-1 and Ben had reached his pitching limit so Christian came out to finish the inning. Ben went to left field and Keanu to second base. Christian’s second pitch was hit by the Redbacks batter but caught out at third by Ozan. Christian worked hard and got several strikes. The Redbacks end the inning 17-1. Herts up for the last time and Christian struck out. James then hit a double and Adam earned a walk. Ben hit to first and James came home to make it 17-2. Ozan got a hit and although he was out at first he earned an RBI bringing Adam home to make it 17-3. Alex earned a walk and then Keanu struck out to end the game. Final score 17-3

Overall impressions- big scores against Herts but little game play this season and the use of three/four under 11s as well as the injured Brodie Caress meant that they were at a real disadvantage from the off. All the players tried hard and were supportive of their young team mates. It was definitely a learning experience. Ben pitched well and did not let much get away from him. James had not played catcher before but got into it and learned a lot from the experience. I suspect the under 11 players enjoyed it the most as it was a very new thing for them. Alex and Christian both did great when they got their chance to pitch and showed little nerves. Ozan was steady and reliable at third and really quite impressive. All players had mixed luck at the plate against some strong pitching from the opposition- the amount of walks was probably a result of the U11 players being a lot shorter and mixing up the strike zone a bit.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Falcons are back at home this Sunday as Mustangs come to town

We are in the month of May and the title race is rarely decided so early in the baseball season, but with the teams so tightly packed in the standings every game is a must win for every team. A loss could be the difference between an automatic NBC spot and the playoffs or missing out on the postseason altogether.

The top game this weekend is the NBL clash between the third-placed Herts Falcons (6-4) and the Southampton Mustangs (7-3) who are a game ahead in second place.

The Mustangs will be travelling to Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead after a defeat against the league-leading London Mets which ended their impressive 6-game winning streak. Despite this they will be in a confident mood as one of the major forces in the NBL this season. Their roster includes Gary Davison who leads the NBL in homeruns (3) and RBIs (14). Davison broke Falcons’ hearts in 2006 pitching a complete game win in extra innings as a player of Burgess Hill to relegate the team from Herts from the AAA down to the AA league. Southampton also brings a lot of speed on the bases with the leader in stolen bases Victor Aizpura (23). The Falcons will face their new signing Czech pitcher, Tomas Zondra, for the first time. He pitched 8 epic innings against the London Mets last Sunday but was unfortunate to end up as the losing pitcher in a classic 1-0 game. Sunday’s game will also see the return of legendary Herts slugger, Kimiyoshi Saionji, who changed the Falcons jersey for that of the Mustangs in the second week of the season.

The Falcons go into the game with some injury concerns. Arguably the best middle infield duo in British baseball of Robbie Unsell and Xavier Gonzalez sustained injuries last Sunday in the game against the Essex Arrows. It is uncertain whether or not they will be able to recover in time for Sunday’s titanic clash. It will all be decided in their last-minute fitness tests. Ace pitcher, Jordan Farkas, has also been unable to pitch over the last few weeks, so he is also a doubt. If they cannot regain 100% fitness, others on the Herts roster will have to step up and keep the club’s title hopes alive. Several players from Herts Ravens – the club’s AAA-affiliate – are on standby and could make an appearance.

Farnham Park - British Baseball's Wembley Stadium (photo by Liam Carroll/BSUK)

The photos of Farnham Park published this week have injected extra excitement in the British baseball community as the brand new purpose-built facility will host its first ever NBL postseason final this September. Herts Falcons Manager, Lee Manning, already stated the team’s goal to get there and try to win the NBL title. If they are to achieve this they will need strong support from their fans in home games like this Sunday’s doubleheader, especially in weeks when the roster is decimated with injuries. It will certainly be good to see the Falcons back at home after a 7-week road trip. First pitch is at 12pm.

CAN EAGLES EXTEND WINNING STREAK

Before the start of the season no one would have believed that the Eagles (2-2) could go top of the Single-A table this Sunday, but that’s exactly what will happen if they manage to overcome the visiting Milton Keynes Coyotes (3-1). The two teams met on Opening Day. The Coyotes came out on top on that occasion but there is a new sense of optimism among the Eagles who will be looking to make it 3 wins in 3 games. Duncan Hoyle’s players will have home-field advantage (first pitch 12pm).

At the same time in Finsbury Park the Herts Raptors (2-2) will be looking to restart their season. After two wins in their opening two games, the Raptors’ campaign has stuttered with two losses in the last two games. Both of these games were lost by the smallest of run-differences, but that will not make the losses easier to swallow. They will face the London Marauders (3-1) who top their Single-A Pool.

HERTS YOUNGSTERS HEAD SOUTH TO RICHMOND

While the Herts U17 players take part in the promotional event in St Albans and others join up with the Great Britain U16 National Team, the club’s U14 and U11 teams will be making the trip down to Richmond for a very special event bringing together some of the best youth teams in those age groups from around London. The hosts have put a great deal of effort to make this a very special event. Apart from the baseball, those who take part can look forward to the gourmet BBQ and pig roast, pastries and more. A great way to start the Bank Holiday weekend.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Baseball to compete with 16 other sports in St Albans this Saturday

St Albans City and District Council has invited Herts Baseball Club to take part in the opening of a new beach volleyball venue this Saturday, May 25. Verulamium Park in St Albans, is one of 6 successful venues to gain a new beach volleyball court after the Olympics. It is made with 4000 tonnes of sand taken directly from the 2012 London Olympics venue at Horse Guards Parade.

Coaches and players from the Herts adult and youth teams will run various baseball activities and will invite members of the public to give baseball a go and take part in several baseball competitions which will be taking place throughout the day.

Baseball will be one of 17 different sports which will be exhibited during the event. “This is an exciting opportunity to promote our club and the game of baseball in the community” said Herts Baseball Club President, Aspi Dimitrov. He added that “the club is seeing this as a competition with the other 16 sports to see who will attract more members of the public”.

The opening ceremony will commence at 11:30am and activities of the 17 different sports running from 12pm to 4pm. The event will also feature BBQ and other snacks and refreshments, music, circus skills, face painting etc. so it is expected to be an enjoyable event for the whole family. Any members of Herts Baseball Club or the wider community are able to come and take part in this event, free of charge.

The baseball activities will be held at the playing area on the back of the “Inn on the Park Cafe” at Verulamium Park. Click for address, map, car park options and other venue details