Author: Herts Baseball News Editor

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Box Scores: Southampton Mustangs 8 Herts Falcons 19 (NBL)

Southampton Mustangs at Herts Falcons
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
Southampton Mustangs 2 0 1 3 0 2 8 8 6
Herts Falcons 4 2 0 3 2 8 19 13 4

 

Herts Falcons 19, Southampton Mustangs 8
Herts Falcons Southampton Mustangs
ab r h bi ab r h bi
UNSELL Robbie p-ss 4 3 2 4 V Player 1 rf 4 2 2 2
HICHE Cristobal cf 4 3 2 1 V Player 2 lf 2 1 1 3
BIRD Ryan c 4 3 4 4 V Player 3 ss 3 0 0 1
TRETHEWAY David lf 4 3 2 3 V Player 4 p 3 1 1 1
WARD Darrin 1b 3 1 1 2 V Player 5 cf 1 0 0 0
NIEDRINGHAUS Kevin 2b 3 1 0 1 V Player 6 3b 3 0 0 0
OSBORN Michael rf 3 1 0 0 V Player 7 1b 3 0 0 0
HOUSE David 3b 4 1 1 0 (b5) V Sub 1 1b 0 0 0 0
HOUSE Jeff ss-p 2 3 1 0 V Player 8 2b 3 2 2 0
V Player 9 c 3 2 2 0
TEAM TOTALS 31 19 13 15 TEAM TOTALS 25 8 8 7

 

E: BIRD Ryan(2), UNSELL Robbie, HOUSE Jeff, V Player 3(2), V Player 4, V Player 5, V
Player 9, V Sub 1. LOB: Southampton Mustangs 4, Herts Falcons 10. 2B: BIRD Ryan,
UNSELL Robbie, HOUSE Jeff, HOUSE David, HICHE Cristobal. HR: TRETHEWAY David, V
Player 4, V Player 1. SB: TRETHEWAY David(3), HICHE Cristobal(2), HOUSE Jeff, UNSELL
Robbie, NIEDRINGHAUS Kevin, BIRD Ryan, V Player 5, V Player 9, V Player 8, V Player
2, V Player 3. SF: NIEDRINGHAUS Kevin, BIRD Ryan, V Player 2.

 

Herts Falcons IP H R ER BB SO
UNSELL Robbie W 6.00 8 8 6 3 4
Southampton Mustangs
V Player 4 L 5.67 13 19 13 10 1

 

HBP: by V Player 4 (UNSELL Robbie). , by V Player 4 (WARD Darrin). , by UNSELL Robbie
(V Player 5). . . , by V Player 4 (WARD Darrin), by V Player 4 (HOUSE Jeff). WP: V
Player 4(2). PB: V Player 9(4). T: 2:00. A: 68.
Southampton Mustangs – Top of the 1st:
V Player 1 struck out swinging.
V Player 2 walked, advanced to 2nd on error, stole 3rd, batted forward to home.
V Player 3 grounded out, 1 RBI.
V Player 4 hit solo home run, 1 RBI.
V Player 5 walked, stole 2nd.
V Player 6 flied out.
2 runs, 1 hit, 1 error, 1 LOB.
Herts Falcons – Bottom of the 1st:
UNSELL Robbie hit by pitch, batted forward to home.
HICHE Cristobal doubled, batted forward to home.
BIRD Ryan sacrifice flied, 1 RBI.
TRETHEWAY David singled, advanced to 2nd on throw, stole 3rd, batted forward to home,
1 RBI.
WARD Darrin reached on error, advanced to 2nd on throw, advanced to 3rd on error,
advanced to home on throw.
NIEDRINGHAUS Kevin sacrifice flied, 1 RBI.
OSBORN Michael reached on error.
HOUSE David lined out.
4 runs, 2 hits, 2 errors, 1 LOB.
Southampton Mustangs – Top of the 2nd:
V Player 7 struck out swinging.
V Player 8 grounded out.
V Player 9 flied out.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Herts Falcons – Bottom of the 2nd:
HOUSE Jeff doubled, advanced to 3rd on passed ball, batted forward to home.
UNSELL Robbie walked, stole 2nd, batted forward to home.
HICHE Cristobal singled, batted forward to 2nd, stole 3rd, 1 RBI.
BIRD Ryan singled, advanced to 2nd on throw, 1 RBI.
TRETHEWAY David flied out.
WARD Darrin hit by pitch.
NIEDRINGHAUS Kevin flied out.
OSBORN Michael flied out.
2 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 3 LOB.
Southampton Mustangs – Top of the 3rd:
V Player 1 hit solo home run, 1 RBI.
V Player 2 grounded out.
V Player 3 grounded out.
V Player 4 reached on error, batted forward to 2nd.
V Player 5 hit by pitch.
V Player 6 struck out swinging.
1 run, 1 hit, 1 error, 2 LOB.
Herts Falcons – Bottom of the 3rd:
HOUSE David doubled.
HOUSE Jeff flied out.
UNSELL Robbie flied out.
HICHE Cristobal flied out.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Southampton Mustangs – Top of the 4th:
V Player 7 grounded out.
V Player 8 singled, stole 2nd, batted forward to home.
V Player 9 singled, stole 2nd, batted forward to home.
V Player 1 singled, advanced to 2nd on throw, advanced to 3rd on interference,
advanced to home on error, 1 RBI.
V Player 2 sacrifice flied, 1 RBI.
V Player 3 walked, stole 2nd.
V Player 4 grounded out.
3 runs, 3 hits, 2 errors, 1 LOB.
Herts Falcons – Bottom of the 4th:
BIRD Ryan singled, advanced to 2nd on passed ball, advanced to 3rd on passed ball,
batted forward to home.
TRETHEWAY David walked, stole 2nd, batted forward to home.
WARD Darrin singled, advanced to 2nd on passed ball, advanced to 3rd on error, tagged
out going to home, 2 RBI.
NIEDRINGHAUS Kevin walked, stole 2nd, advanced to home on wild pitch.
OSBORN Michael walked, advanced to 2nd on wild pitch, advanced to 3rd on wild pitch.
HOUSE David flied out.
HOUSE Jeff walked, advanced to 2nd on wild pitch.
UNSELL Robbie flied out.
3 runs, 2 hits, 1 error, 2 LOB.
Southampton Mustangs – Top of the 5th:
V Player 5 grounded out.
V Player 6 grounded out.
V Player 7 popped out.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Herts Falcons – Bottom of the 5th:
HICHE Cristobal walked, batted forward to home.
BIRD Ryan singled, advanced to 2nd on error, stole 3rd, advanced to home on error, 1
RBI.
TRETHEWAY David reached on error, stole 2nd, batted forward to 3rd.
WARD Darrin flied out.
NIEDRINGHAUS Kevin struck out swinging.
OSBORN Michael walked, forced out at 2nd.
HOUSE David reached on fielder’s choice.
2 runs, 1 hit, 2 errors, 2 LOB.
Southampton Mustangs – Top of the 6th:
V Player 8 singled, batted forward to home.
V Player 9 singled, batted forward to home.
V Player 1 grounded out.
V Player 2 singled, tagged out going to 2nd, 2 RBI.
V Player 3 struck out swinging.
2 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Herts Falcons – Bottom of the 6th:
HOUSE Jeff walked, stole 2nd, batted forward to home.
UNSELL Robbie doubled, advanced to home on error, 1 RBI.
HICHE Cristobal reached on error, stole 2nd, batted forward to home.
BIRD Ryan doubled, batted forward to home, 1 RBI.
TRETHEWAY David hit 2-run home run, 2 RBI.
WARD Darrin hit by pitch, forced out at 2nd.
NIEDRINGHAUS Kevin flied out.
OSBORN Michael reached on fielder’s choice, batted forward to home.
HOUSE David walked, batted forward to home.
HOUSE Jeff hit by pitch, batted forward to home.
UNSELL Robbie singled, 3 RBI.
8 runs, 4 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB.
by Herts Baseball News Editor

Young blood and big bats of the ‘older brother’ overpower Herts newcomers

written by hertsbaseball.com correspondent Ken Pike

Across the sporting world rivalries are borne from close proximity. Either geographical proximity such as football’s Arsenal v Tottenham derby, or from proximity of ability or regular competition such as England v Australia in the Ashes. In our neck of the sporting world a new rivalry has sprung up this year arising from not one, but both of these factors. The Herts Eagles have risen phoenix-like from a one year sabbatical to enter the Single-A division joining the traditional Herts entry, the Raptors.

As far as proximity goes the two teams are from the same club and play on the same fields, so you can’t get any closer. However on competitiveness, there had been a conscious Herts board choice to pick the Raptors team to create a pennant chasing side while the Eagles would be grounds for blooding new players and providing experience and game time to those who could develop over time. As is often the case however, reality bears out a little difference from expectation.

The first game between these two minor league teams was as hotly contested as it was anticipated. The Raptors played the ‘home side’ for this meet having played only two of their regular season fixtures so far thanks to rain delays, forfeits and unfortunate scheduling. Conversely the Eagles had fared better with six games under their belt, including three wins. As a result they had built up some confidence and experience in some of the new young prospects, and more importantly, regular game time for the whole team.

The opening innings were set to be pitched by two of these very bright young prospects for the club with the Raptors promising star Zack Longboy taking the mound while young newcomer William Zucker started for the Eagles.

The first inning saw Zac dominate the mound retiring the first batter with a strikeout. Craig La Roux reached base after being hit by a pitch, but was out the very next play after a bouncer from Theo Scheeper’s bat went straight to second baseman Ken Pike forcing out La Roux on the fielders choice. Shortly after power hitter Reagan Wood grounded out to end the inning with a zero on the board.

 

By return the powerful bats of the Raptors make the first dent with a mixture of hits and walks bringing four runners home with a nervy start from Will leading to a balk and some errors before he settled into a groove. Singles from Brodie Caress, Gilberto Medina, and Jake Caress were added to by four walks, a fielding error and a balk.

The second inning was a much closer affair. Zack Longboy’s pitching however remained impervious to Eagles attack to result in clean inning number two. The Raptors only added one run courtesy of a Glen Downer double scoring John Kjorstad before the Eagles retired the side.

The third inning saw the Eagles bounce back with three runs courtesy of strong running from Senna Ashida and Craig La Roux topped off by a big double from Reagan Wood. The Raptors had tagged on another single to keep the gap at three runs before the Raptors defence clamped up again and put the Eagles out of business for the next three innings, while adding three more of their own.

To keep the game close the Eagles brought in relief pitcher Theo Scheepers who had a good three innings keeping the Raptors pegged at eight while the Eagles added one run in the top of the seventh.

The eighth inning however proved the final undoing of the Eagles as the Raptors changed up a gear. While the titing, but still impressive pitching from Zack closed out all but one run (which only reached courtesy of a fielding error), doubles from Gilberto Medina and Brodie Caress helped tack a further six to open up a gap just shy of requiring an early mercy rule finish to the game.

This proved too big a gap for the eagles to overcome with two ground outs and a stealing runner beaten by the tag thanks to an immaculate throw from catcher Ben Marques. the final inning resulted in the sixth zero on the board for young star Zack Longboy resulting not just in him being the game MVP, but provided the best performance by a Herts pitcher in a Single-A league game.

In the end that pitching performance and a near impervious Raptors defence (only three errors in total) left precious few chances for the Eagles. On the other half of the inning, the Raptors batting line-up gave the Eagles pitchers no gaps in which to find respite by combining the impressive power hitters Ben Marques, Glen Downer, Gilberto Medina and John Kjorstad with the consistent and speedy base presences of the Caress family, Arnie Longboy, and Ken Pike.

That is not to say the Eagles were impotent by any means. Both young starting pitcher William Zucker with three strikeouts, and reliever Theo Scheepers pitched calmly and impressively showing signs of great things to come, while powerful hits by Scheepers and Reagan Wood were matched by several strong performances around the lineup, notably several great catches from young outfielder Senna Ashida. The Eagles have already matched the Raptors record from the previous year with two games left (including bottom of the table Braintree Rays) and look set for great things to come.

Herts Raptors Manager, Arnie Longboy, commented after the game: “I am really proud of how everyone on the team contributed to the win. As a manager I was particularly proud of how we excelled on the fundamentals of base running – manufacturing runs when we needed them and limiting fielding errors to a season low of 3. As a father I was proud of how Zack not only pitched but also played all aspects of the position from fielding to keeping base runners in check. We won’t have our Ace for our next game but this should test our mettle as a team and I expect us to do well.”

Eagles Manager, Duncam Hoyle, said: “We went into the game believing we had a good chance of winning but the Raptors reminded us why they are the Raptors and we are the Eagles. In general I thought we played well, especially defensively but we couldnt get our offense going – mainly due to the excellent pitching display by Zack. The Raptors made few mistakes and were very clinical in everything they did. Once again we had a lot of positives to take from the game, I was delighted to be able to give Will Zucker his first start from the mound and I thought he was superb. The defeat does hurt but we will bounce back”

Click to view box scores and play-by-play

This derby, one of the closest of rivalries, played out in the best weather that British baseball could offer, on one of the best fields in the country, provided a true classic. Perhaps the skills on display were no match for the ‘big brother’ National League Falcons, but, much as the English football team are proving in Ukraine and Poland, a little heart and a lot of passion can go a long way. A dominant win…but by no means a blowout. A game which will surely become unmissable in Herts calendars.

(The result brings Herts Raptors to a .500 record with two wins and two losses while the Eagles sit on 0.429 with 3 wins and 4 losses.)

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Box Scores: Herts Eagles 5 Herts Raptors 14 BBF A League

Herts Eagles at Herts Raptors
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Herts Eagles 0 0 3 0 0 0 1 1 0 5 9 6
Herts Raptors 4 1 1 2 0 0 0 6 0 14 10 3

 

Herts Raptors 14, Herts Eagles 5
Herts Raptors Herts Eagles
ab r h bi ab r h bi
CARESS Brodie lf 5 1 2 2 ASHIDA Senna lf 4 1 0 0
PIKE Ken 2b 4 2 1 0 LA ROUX Craig 3b 1 1 0 0
MEDINA Gilberto ss 6 1 3 2 (t5) V Player 2 cf 0 0 0 0
KJORSTAD John cf 3 2 1 1 (b5) V Sub 4 3b 0 0 0 0
DOWNER Glen 1b 3 3 1 1 (t7) VANGUNDY Callum 3b 2 0 1 0
MARQUES Ben c 5 1 1 0 SCHEEPERS Theo p 5 2 1 0
CARESS Jake 3b 5 1 1 2 (t5) V Player 3 p 0 0 0 0
CARESS Mark rf 4 2 0 1 WOOD Reagan ss 5 0 3 2
LONGBOY Arnie dh 2 1 0 0 (t5) V Player 4 ss 0 0 0 0
LONGBOY Zack p 0 0 0 0 SMITHERS Adrian 1b 1 0 0 0
(b4) V Sub 3 1b 0 0 0 0
(t5) BELBIN Will 1b 2 0 1 0
(t9) V Sub 2 1b 0 0 0 0
(t9) GAMBLE Jon 1b 1 0 0 0
ZUCKER Will p 1 0 0 0
(t5) V Sub 5 cf 0 0 0 0
(t5) ROBERTS Simon cf 2 0 0 0
KEMAL Oz c 4 1 1 0
ASHIDA Takeshi 2b 2 0 1 0
(b5) V Sub 1 2b 0 0 0 0
(t6) HOYLE Duncan 2b 1 0 0 0
(t9) V Sub 6 2b 0 0 0 0
SMITHERS Adam rf 1 0 0 0
(b5) V Sub 7 rf 0 0 0 0
(t6) CRESSWELL Michael rf 2 0 1 0
TEAM TOTALS 37 14 10 9 TEAM TOTALS 34 5 9 2

 

E: CARESS Jake(2), DOWNER Glen, SMITHERS Adrian(2), LA ROUX Craig, WOOD Reagan,
ASHIDA Takeshi, V Sub 5. LOB: Herts Eagles 11, Herts Raptors 12. 2B: DOWNER Glen,
MEDINA Gilberto, CARESS Brodie, WOOD Reagan, CRESSWELL Michael. SB: MEDINA
Gilberto(3), DOWNER Glen(2), CARESS Brodie(2), KJORSTAD John(2), PIKE Ken, MARQUES
Ben, CARESS Jake, CARESS Mark, LONGBOY Arnie, SCHEEPERS Theo(3), ASHIDA Takeshi(2),
ASHIDA Senna(2), SMITHERS Adrian, LA ROUX Craig.

 

Herts Raptors IP H R ER BB SO
LONGBOY Zack 8.67 9 5 2 6 6
Herts Eagles
ZUCKER Will 4.00 7 8 3 7 3
WOOD Reagan 4.00 3 6 1 5 0

 

HBP: by LONGBOY Zack (LA ROUX Craig). . . . . , by LONGBOY Zack (KEMAL Oz), by
LONGBOY Zack (HOYLE Duncan), by WOOD Reagan (KJORSTAD John). . . . PB: MARQUES
Ben(4), KEMAL Oz(2). Balk: ZUCKER Will(2). T: 3:15. A: 89.
Herts Eagles – Top of the 1st:
ASHIDA Senna struck out looking.
LA ROUX Craig hit by pitch, forced out at 2nd.
SCHEEPERS Theo reached on fielder’s choice, advanced to 2nd on passed ball.
WOOD Reagan grounded out.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Herts Raptors – Bottom of the 1st:
CARESS Brodie singled, batted forward to 2nd, advanced to 3rd on balk, tagged out
going to home.
PIKE Ken walked, advanced to 2nd on balk, stole 3rd, batted forward to home.
MEDINA Gilberto singled, stole 2nd, batted forward to 3rd, stole home.
KJORSTAD John grounded out, 1 RBI.
DOWNER Glen walked, stole 2nd, advanced to 3rd on error, batted forward to home.
MARQUES Ben reached on error, advanced to 2nd on error, batted forward to home.
CARESS Jake singled, advanced to 2nd on error, stole 3rd, 2 RBI.
CARESS Mark walked, stole 2nd.
LONGBOY Arnie walked.
CARESS Brodie grounded out.
4 runs, 3 hits, 2 errors, 3 LOB.
Herts Eagles – Top of the 2nd:
SMITHERS Adrian struck out swinging.
ZUCKER Will walked, advanced to 2nd on passed ball.
KEMAL Oz struck out looking.
ASHIDA Takeshi popped out.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Herts Raptors – Bottom of the 2nd:
PIKE Ken struck out looking.
MEDINA Gilberto grounded out.
KJORSTAD John walked, batted forward to home.
DOWNER Glen doubled, batted forward to 3rd, 1 RBI.
MARQUES Ben singled, stole 2nd.
CARESS Jake grounded out.
1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Herts Eagles – Top of the 3rd:
SMITHERS Adam walked, forced out at 2nd.
ASHIDA Senna reached on fielder’s choice, stole 2nd, advanced to 3rd on error, stole
home.
LA ROUX Craig walked, stole 2nd, batted forward to home.
SCHEEPERS Theo singled, stole 2nd, batted forward to home.
WOOD Reagan doubled, tagged out going to 3rd, 2 RBI.
SMITHERS Adrian walked, stole 2nd.
ZUCKER Will struck out swinging.
3 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Herts Raptors – Bottom of the 3rd:
CARESS Mark reached on error, advanced to 2nd on error, batted forward to home.
LONGBOY Arnie lined out.
CARESS Brodie struck out swinging.
PIKE Ken singled, batted forward to 3rd.
MEDINA Gilberto singled, 1 RBI.
KJORSTAD John struck out swinging.
1 run, 2 hits, 1 error, 2 LOB.
Herts Eagles – Top of the 4th:
KEMAL Oz flied out.
ASHIDA Takeshi singled, stole 2nd, stole 3rd.
SMITHERS Adam struck out looking.
ASHIDA Senna walked, picked off.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Herts Raptors – Bottom of the 4th:
DOWNER Glen walked, stole 2nd, advanced to 3rd on error, advanced to home on passed
ball.
MARQUES Ben flied out.
CARESS Jake reached on error, advanced to 2nd on error, advanced to 3rd on passed
ball, batted forward to home.
CARESS Mark grounded out, 1 RBI.
LONGBOY Arnie walked, stole 2nd, tagged out going to 3rd.
2 runs, 0 hits, 1 error, 0 LOB.
Herts Eagles – Top of the 5th:
LA ROUX Craig grounded out.
SCHEEPERS Theo reached on error, advanced to 2nd on error.
WOOD Reagan singled.
BELBIN Will out by infield fly rule.
ROBERTS Simon grounded out.
0 runs, 1 hit, 1 error, 2 LOB.
Herts Raptors – Bottom of the 5th:
CARESS Brodie flied out.
PIKE Ken grounded out.
MEDINA Gilberto popped out.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Herts Eagles – Top of the 6th:
KEMAL Oz hit by pitch, tagged out going to 2nd.
HOYLE Duncan hit by pitch, tagged out going to 2nd.
CRESSWELL Michael doubled.
ASHIDA Senna flied out.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Herts Raptors – Bottom of the 6th:
KJORSTAD John hit by pitch, stole 2nd.
DOWNER Glen flied out.
MARQUES Ben flied out.
CARESS Jake grounded out.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Herts Eagles – Top of the 7th:
VANGUNDY Callum grounded out.
SCHEEPERS Theo reached on error, stole 2nd, stole 3rd, advanced to home on passed
ball.
WOOD Reagan struck out swinging.
BELBIN Will singled.
ROBERTS Simon popped out.
1 run, 1 hit, 1 error, 1 LOB.
Herts Raptors – Bottom of the 7th:
CARESS Mark grounded out.
LONGBOY Arnie flied out.
CARESS Brodie walked, stole 2nd, stole 3rd.
PIKE Ken walked.
MEDINA Gilberto grounded out.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Herts Eagles – Top of the 8th:
KEMAL Oz singled, advanced to 2nd on passed ball, advanced to home on error.
HOYLE Duncan popped out.
CRESSWELL Michael flied out.
ASHIDA Senna reached on error, batted forward to 2nd.
VANGUNDY Callum singled.
SCHEEPERS Theo flied out.
1 run, 2 hits, 1 error, 2 LOB.
Herts Raptors – Bottom of the 8th:
KJORSTAD John singled, batted forward to 3rd, advanced to home on error.
DOWNER Glen walked, batted forward to 2nd, advanced to 3rd on error, advanced to home
on passed ball.
MARQUES Ben popped out.
CARESS Jake grounded out.
CARESS Mark reached on error, advanced to 3rd on passed ball, batted forward to home.
LONGBOY Arnie walked, batted forward to home.
CARESS Brodie doubled, advanced to home on error, 2 RBI.
PIKE Ken reached on error, advanced to 2nd on error, batted forward to home.
MEDINA Gilberto doubled, stole 3rd, 1 RBI.
KJORSTAD John walked, stole 2nd.
DOWNER Glen flied out.
6 runs, 3 hits, 2 errors, 2 LOB.
Herts Eagles – Top of the 9th:
WOOD Reagan singled, batted forward to 2nd, advanced to 3rd on passed ball.
GAMBLE Jon grounded out.
ROBERTS Simon walked, tagged out going to 2nd.
KEMAL Oz grounded out.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
by Herts Baseball News Editor

Giants win ties series with Dodgers 1-1

written by hertsbaseball.com correspondent, Chris Jones

The latest match in the series between the Herts Dodgers and the Herts Giants was held on Saturday 16th June at Grovehill.

The Dodgers came to the game one-up in the series after a 10-4 victory on May 26th. For the Dodgers, Thomas Garton and Cameron Manning came in for Ozan Martin, William Ahern and Alex Jones, while the Giants brought in big hitter Joshua Jones in place of Rose Burgess-Van Dort and Talia Martin. With seven players per side, both coaches elected to omit centre and right fielders.

Despite apocalyptic warnings of “once-in-50-year” rainstorms, the Grovehill field was playable, and the weather held up just enough to allow the game to proceed. Elsewhere on the field the concession stand pavilion was straining at its guy-ropes, threatening to sail off towards St Albans. Spectators kept themselves wrapped up well, thermos flasks at hand, and your scorer wore one woolly glove while tapping the plays into the computer.

The Giants took the first turn at-bat. All of the first six batters hit singles, and four runs were scored in all. In reply, the Giants had their opponents scoreless with two outs, but let the opportunity slip. Again, a parade of singles brought runner after runner to home plate, five runs in all.

Another three runs to the Giants in the second, to take a 7-5 lead. The Dodgers were restricted to two, after some efficient infield play forced out runners at third and second. Scores were tied after two innings.

Into the third, the Giants hit more infield singles, plus a line drive to the left-field fence from Joshua Jones to bring home Oliver Durer. 10-7 to the Giants, and the pressure was on the Dodgers to reclaim the lead. All was set, with bases loaded and one out, before a strike-out and a 1-3 ground-out (Alex Trautman and Oliver Durer) closed the inning without a run scored.

The Giants turned the screw in the fourth inning, scoring the maximum five runs, the highlight an unstoppable ground rule double by Joshua Jones. Now facing an eight-run deficit, the Dodgers couldn’t repeat their batting form from the start of the game, scoring only one in their last two innings. A fly-out to pitcher and catcher at the bottom of the fifth brought the game to a close, the Giants running away with a 15-8 win to tie the series.

After the game, the coaches were encouraged by the continuing improvement we are seeing from these two teams. Fielding seemed sharper, and there was more awareness of where to make the plays. We have plenty of areas to work on, including throwing accuracy and base-running, but there’s a lot of promise here – sometimes we have to remind ourselves how young some of the players really are.

To relive the full game with full statistical analysis fans can view a new facility which Herts Baseball Club is testing at the moment. CLICK TO OPEN THE GAMECAST AND PRESS REPLAY IN TOP RIGHT CORNER

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Box Scores: London Sports 11 Herts 7 F7 (BBF U14 League)

London Sports at Herts All Stars U14
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
London Sports 1 0 0 1 3 2 4 11 6 0
Herts All Stars U14 2 3 0 0 2 0 0 7 8 5

 

London Sports 11, Herts All Stars U14 7
London Sports Herts All Stars U14
ab r h bi ab r h bi
V Player 1 p 4 1 1 2 Gavin Peterson c-ss-1b 3 0 0 1
V Player 2 c 3 1 1 0 Tom Jansson-Wright 3b-lf 3 1 1 1
V Player 3 1b 3 1 0 0 (t5) James Roberts lf 0 0 0 0
V Player 4 2b 3 1 1 0 Alec Broadbent cf 4 1 1 1
V Player 5 3b 1 1 0 0 Callum Vangundy p-c 4 1 1 2
V Player 6 ss 2 1 0 0 Matt Taylor 1b-p 3 1 2 0
V Player 7 lf 3 2 1 1 Keanu Wood lf-3b 3 0 0 0
V Player 8 cf 4 1 1 2 (t6) Ben Jones 3b 1 0 0 0
V Player 9 rf 2 2 1 0 Lukas Paganelli ss-1b 3 1 3 1
Adam White 2b 2 1 0 0
Bai Frisby rf 1 1 0 0
(t5) Alex Guthrie rf 1 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 25 11 6 5 TEAM TOTALS 28 7 8 6

 

E: Gavin Peterson(2), Tom Jansson-Wright, Keanu Wood, Alex Guthrie. DP: London Sports
1. LOB: Herts All Stars U14 5, London Sports 5. 2B: V Player 1, V Player 9, Lukas
Paganelli. HR: Callum Vangundy. SB: V Player 4(3), V Player 2(3), V Player 1(2), V
Player 5(2), V Player 6. CS: V Player 5. SF: V Player 1.

 

London Sports IP H R ER BB SO
V Player 1 W 7.00 8 7 7 4 12
Herts All Stars U14
Callum Vangundy 4.67 0 3 0 4 7
Matt Taylor L 2.33 6 8 7 6 4

 

HBP: by V Player 1 (Adam White). . . . . . WP: V Player 1(6), Matt Taylor(5), Callum
Vangundy(2). PB: Gavin Peterson(2). T: 2:00. A: 110.
London Sports – Top of the 1st:
V Player 1 struck out swinging.
V Player 2 walked, stole 2nd, stole 3rd, advanced to home on passed ball.
V Player 3 struck out swinging.
V Player 4 grounded out.
1 run, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Herts All Stars U14 – Bottom of the 1st:
Gavin Peterson lined out.
Tom Jansson-Wright walked, advanced to 2nd on wild pitch, batted forward to home.
Alec Broadbent singled, advanced to 2nd on throw, advanced to 3rd on wild pitch,
advanced to home on wild pitch, 1 RBI.
Callum Vangundy grounded out.
Matt Taylor singled.
Keanu Wood struck out swinging.
2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
London Sports – Top of the 2nd:
V Player 5 walked, advanced to 2nd on wild pitch, caught trying to steal 3rd.
V Player 6 walked, stole 2nd, batted forward to 3rd.
V Player 7 grounded out.
V Player 8 struck out swinging.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Herts All Stars U14 – Bottom of the 2nd:
Lukas Paganelli singled, advanced to 3rd on wild pitch, batted forward to home.
Adam White hit by pitch, advanced to 2nd on wild pitch, batted forward to home.
Bai Frisby walked, batted forward to home.
Gavin Peterson walked, batted forward to 2nd, tagged out going to 3rd, 1 RBI.
Tom Jansson-Wright singled, batted forward to 2nd, 1 RBI.
Alec Broadbent struck out swinging.
Callum Vangundy reached on fielder’s choice, 1 RBI.
Matt Taylor grounded out.
3 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
London Sports – Top of the 3rd:
V Player 9 reached on interference, hit by fair ball, called out.
V Player 1 reached on fielder’s choice, forced out at 2nd.
V Player 2 reached on fielder’s choice, stole 2nd, advanced to 3rd on error.
V Player 3 reached on error.
V Player 4 grounded out.
0 runs, 0 hits, 2 errors, 2 LOB.
Herts All Stars U14 – Bottom of the 3rd:
Keanu Wood struck out swinging.
Lukas Paganelli singled, forced out at 2nd.
Adam White hit into double play.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
London Sports – Top of the 4th:
V Player 5 walked, stole 2nd, advanced to 3rd on passed ball, batted forward to home.
V Player 6 struck out swinging.
V Player 7 grounded out, 1 RBI.
V Player 8 struck out swinging.
1 run, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Herts All Stars U14 – Bottom of the 4th:
Bai Frisby struck out swinging.
Gavin Peterson struck out swinging.
Tom Jansson-Wright grounded out.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
London Sports – Top of the 5th:
V Player 9 struck out swinging.
V Player 1 reached on error, stole 2nd, advanced to home on wild pitch.
V Player 2 struck out swinging.
V Player 3 walked, advanced to 2nd on wild pitch, advanced to 3rd on wild pitch,
advanced to home on wild pitch.
V Player 4 walked, stole 2nd, stole 3rd, stole home.
V Player 5 walked, stole 2nd.
V Player 6 struck out swinging.
3 runs, 0 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB.
Herts All Stars U14 – Bottom of the 5th:
Alec Broadbent struck out swinging.
Callum Vangundy hit solo home run, 1 RBI.
Matt Taylor walked, advanced to 2nd on wild pitch, batted forward to home.
Keanu Wood struck out swinging.
Lukas Paganelli ground rule doubled, 1 RBI.
Adam White struck out swinging.
2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
London Sports – Top of the 6th:
V Player 7 walked, batted forward to 2nd, advanced to 3rd on wild pitch, batted
forward to home.
V Player 8 struck out swinging.
V Player 9 walked, advanced to 2nd on wild pitch, batted forward to 3rd, advanced to
home on wild pitch.
V Player 1 sacrifice flied, 1 RBI.
V Player 2 singled.
V Player 3 struck out swinging.
2 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Herts All Stars U14 – Bottom of the 6th:
Alex Guthrie struck out swinging.
Gavin Peterson struck out swinging.
Tom Jansson-Wright flied out.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
London Sports – Top of the 7th:
V Player 4 singled, batted forward to 3rd, tagged out going to home.
V Player 5 struck out swinging.
V Player 6 walked, batted forward to 2nd, advanced to 3rd on throw, batted forward to
home.
V Player 7 singled, advanced to 2nd on throw, batted forward to home.
V Player 8 singled, advanced to 3rd on error, advanced to home on error, 2 RBI.
V Player 9 ground rule doubled, batted forward to home.
V Player 1 ground rule doubled, stole 3rd, tagged out going to home, 1 RBI.
4 runs, 5 hits, 2 errors, 0 LOB.
Herts All Stars U14 – Bottom of the 7th:
Alec Broadbent struck out swinging.
Callum Vangundy popped out.
Matt Taylor singled.
Ben Jones struck out swinging.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
by Herts Baseball News Editor

Box Scores: London Sports 11 Herts 7 (BBF U14 League)

London Sports at Herts All Stars U14
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
London Sports 2 0 0 5 1 3 11 6 3
Herts All Stars U14 1 0 4 0 2 0 7 4 6

 

London Sports 11, Herts All Stars U14 7
London Sports Herts All Stars U14
ab r h bi ab r h bi
V Player 1 p 2 1 0 0 Callum Vangundy c 3 2 2 1
(b3) V Sub 1 p 2 1 0 0 Tom Adams cf 3 1 0 0
V Player 2 c 1 1 0 0 Gavin Peterson ss-p 0 1 0 0
V Player 3 1b 4 2 2 2 Tom Everex-Armstrong p-ss 3 1 1 0
V Player 4 2b 3 2 1 1 Matt Taylor 1b 3 1 1 0
V Player 5 3b 3 1 0 0 Ben Jones 3b 3 0 0 0
V Player 6 ss 4 1 2 1 Tom Jansson-Wright lf 3 1 0 0
V Player 7 lf 4 0 0 0 (t6) James Roberts lf 0 0 0 0
V Player 8 cf 1 2 1 1 Leon Bowers rf 2 0 0 0
V Player 9 rf 2 0 0 0 (t4) Alex Guthrie rf 1 0 0 0
Adam White 2b 2 0 0 0
(t5) Theo Longboy 2b-rf 1 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 26 11 6 5 TEAM TOTALS 24 7 4 1

 

E: V Player 6(2), V Player 4, Tom Everex-Armstrong(2), Theo Longboy(2), Matt Taylor,
Ben Jones. LOB: Herts All Stars U14 5, London Sports 7. 2B: Matt Taylor. HR: Callum
Vangundy. SB: V Player 3, Callum Vangundy. CS: V Player 8.

 

London Sports IP H R ER BB SO
V Sub 1 4.33 3 5 0 4 6
V Player 1 W 2.33 1 2 2 2 5
Herts All Stars U14
Tom Everex-Armstrong 3.33 1 4 0 4 7
Gavin Peterson L 2.33 5 7 0 1 1

 

HBP: by Tom Everex-Armstrong (V Player 9). . , by Gavin Peterson (V Player 2). , by
Gavin Peterson (V Player 8). , by Gavin Peterson (V Player 4). WP: V Sub 1(6), Tom
Everex-Armstrong(4), Gavin Peterson(3). PB: V Player 2(3), Callum Vangundy(2). T:
2:00. A: 110.
London Sports – Top of the 1st:
V Player 1 reached on error, batted forward to 2nd, advanced to 3rd on wild pitch,
batted forward to home.
V Player 2 walked, forced out at 2nd.
V Player 3 reached on fielder’s choice, stole 2nd, advanced to 3rd on wild pitch,
advanced to home on error, 1 RBI.
V Player 4 struck out swinging.
V Player 5 reached on error, advanced to 2nd on wild pitch.
V Player 6 struck out swinging.
2 runs, 0 hits, 2 errors, 1 LOB.
Herts All Stars U14 – Bottom of the 1st:
Callum Vangundy hit solo home run, 1 RBI.
Tom Adams struck out swinging.
Gavin Peterson walked, batted forward to 2nd, advanced to 3rd on passed ball.
Tom Everex-Armstrong flied out.
Matt Taylor struck out swinging.
1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
London Sports – Top of the 2nd:
V Player 7 struck out swinging.
V Player 8 walked, caught trying to steal 2nd.
V Player 9 hit by pitch, advanced to 2nd on error, batted forward to 3rd.
V Player 1 reached on error, batted forward to 2nd.
V Player 2 walked.
V Player 3 struck out swinging.
0 runs, 0 hits, 1 error, 3 LOB.
Herts All Stars U14 – Bottom of the 2nd:
Ben Jones grounded out.
Tom Jansson-Wright reached on error.
Leon Bowers struck out swinging.
Adam White struck out swinging.
0 runs, 0 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB.
London Sports – Top of the 3rd:
V Player 4 struck out swinging.
V Player 5 struck out swinging.
V Player 6 singled, advanced to 2nd on wild pitch.
V Player 7 struck out swinging.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Herts All Stars U14 – Bottom of the 3rd:
Callum Vangundy walked, batted forward to 2nd, stole 3rd, advanced to home on wild
pitch.
Tom Adams walked, batted forward to 3rd, advanced to home on error.
Gavin Peterson walked, batted forward to 2nd, advanced to home on error.
Tom Everex-Armstrong singled, advanced to 2nd on error, advanced to 3rd on passed
ball, advanced to home on wild pitch.
Matt Taylor reached on error, advanced to 2nd on passed ball, advanced to 3rd on wild
pitch.
Ben Jones struck out swinging.
Tom Jansson-Wright struck out swinging.
Leon Bowers struck out swinging.
4 runs, 1 hit, 1 error, 1 LOB.
London Sports – Top of the 4th:
V Player 8 walked, batted forward to 2nd, advanced to 3rd on error, batted forward to
home.
V Player 9 grounded out.
V Sub 1 reached on error, batted forward to home.
V Player 2 hit by pitch, batted forward to 3rd, advanced to home on passed ball.
V Player 3 singled, batted forward to 2nd, advanced to 3rd on passed ball, advanced
to home on wild pitch, 1 RBI.
V Player 4 singled, advanced to 2nd on passed ball, advanced to 3rd on wild pitch,
batted forward to home, 1 RBI.
V Player 5 struck out swinging.
V Player 6 singled, 1 RBI.
5 runs, 3 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB.
Herts All Stars U14 – Bottom of the 4th:
Adam White grounded out.
Callum Vangundy singled, batted forward to 2nd, advanced to 3rd on wild pitch.
Tom Adams struck out swinging.
Gavin Peterson walked, advanced to 2nd on wild pitch.
Tom Everex-Armstrong grounded out.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
London Sports – Top of the 5th:
V Player 7 grounded out.
V Player 8 hit by pitch, batted forward to 2nd, advanced to 3rd on passed ball,
advanced to home on wild pitch.
V Player 9 grounded out.
V Sub 1 flied out.
1 run, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Herts All Stars U14 – Bottom of the 5th:
Matt Taylor ground rule doubled, advanced to 3rd on error, advanced to home on wild
pitch.
Ben Jones grounded out.
Tom Jansson-Wright reached on error, advanced to 2nd on wild pitch, advanced to 3rd
on wild pitch, advanced to home on wild pitch.
Alex Guthrie struck out swinging.
Theo Longboy lined out.
2 runs, 1 hit, 1 error, 0 LOB.
London Sports – Top of the 6th:
V Player 2 grounded out.
V Player 3 singled, tagged out going to 2nd.
V Player 4 hit by pitch, batted forward to 2nd, advanced to 3rd on wild pitch,
advanced to home on error.
V Player 5 walked, advanced to 2nd on wild pitch, advanced to home on error.
V Player 6 reached on error, advanced to 2nd on error, batted forward to home.
V Player 7 reached on error, batted forward to 3rd, tagged out going to home.
V Player 8 singled, 1 RBI.
3 runs, 2 hits, 2 errors, 1 LOB.
Herts All Stars U14 – Bottom of the 6th:
Callum Vangundy grounded out.
Tom Adams grounded out.
Gavin Peterson walked, advanced to 2nd on passed ball, advanced to 3rd on wild pitch,
tagged out going to home.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
by Herts Baseball News Editor

Anticipation

Hawks pitcher, Larry Martillo, started game 1 against the Falcons in the first ever Herts baseball derby in 2007
written by hertsbaseball.com correspondent, Glen Downer
Anticipation, or being enthusiastic, is an emotion involving pleasure, excitement, and sometimes anxiety in considering some expected or longed-for good event.
For only the second time in the club’s history two Herts teams will face each other in a competitive league game as the Herts Eagles and the Herts Raptors face-off this Sunday at Grovehill Ballpark. Both teams come off the back of a loss, so the need to put in a good performance couldn’t be higher. In its 16 years as a baseball club, Herts has faced a scenario like this only once and that was five years ago when the Falcons and the Hawks were both in the AA League. Back then the club had only two teams. Now it is the turn of the Raptors and the Eagles.
At the start of the season nobody could have predicted the significance of the game between the two teams; this single game could be the difference in making the post-season, or once again being subject to the agony of just missing out. Both the Raptors and the Eagles have had their fair share of ups and downs already in this rain soaked season, having to endure long breaks due to the poor weather, and suffering losses that could or should have been wins. All this has resulted in the need for both teams to come away with a win this weekend, which could very well be the turning point for each for the rest of the season.
Yankees v Red Sox, Giants v Dodgers, Cardinals v Cubs, and now Raptors v Eagles, team rivalries don’t come any higher than this!! So get yourself down to Grovehill Ballpark this Sunday and enjoy only the second Hertfordshire baseball derby in history! (That is of course if the Great British Weather doesn’t have its say!).

by Herts Baseball News Editor

League leaders come to town this Sunday – Falcons looking to overtake them

While the Herts Falcons and the Harlow Nationals locked horns and shared the spoils in the biggest game of the season so far, the Southampton Mustangs took full advantage with two wins against the Essex Arrows. They now stand on top of the NBL. The Nationals are one game back while the Falcons are one and a half games behind.

This means that for the Herts Falcons the next game becomes even bigger than last Sunday’s showdown as Southampton makes the trip to Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead this Sunday, 17 June. Two wins for Herts in this upcoming doubleheader would put them above the league leaders in the standings.

The two teams met on the south coast on the second weekend of the season. Southampton won game one 7-5 while the Falcons won game two 7-3. Since then the Mustangs have been the best team in Great Britain winning 11 out of their 12 games. This incredible run wasn’t given the publicity it deserved. Although they have reached the playoffs in the last two seasons, they have not been ranked as one of the favourites to win the NBL championship. They sit on top of the league and are now seen by many to be a genuine title-contender.

Falcons shortstop Robbie Unsell had an amazing leaping catch to grab a laser-like line drive out of the air. Will he get the fans off their seats again this Sunday?

This Sunday Southampton’s probable starters are Gary Davison and Alberto Rodriguez. For the Falcons it is impossible to even guess who is likely to start on the mound. Manager, Lee Manning kept the Nationals guessing revealing his starting pitchers just seconds before first pitch and once again he chose a starting rotation completely different from previous games. 2011 NBL Best Pitcher Robbie Unsell started game one and Darrin Ward started game two.

The Mustangs have the NBL homerun leader Marius Urbanavicius who already has 3 home runs this season. The Falcons added two new players to the list of home run hitters as Mike Osborn and Cris Hiche went deep against the Nationals. Herts now have 6 players with home runs – Bird (2), Clark (1), Hiche (1), Niedringhaus (1), Osborn (1), Tretheway (1) – which is the highest among all NBL teams, tied with the London Mets who also have 6 players with home runs to their name this year.

AND THEN THERE WERE 4…OR 6 EVEN

While Harlow, Herts and Southampton trade blows at the top, the London Mets have been quietly catching up and they are now just two games behind the leaders. Essex and Lakenheath may be a few games further behind but they are still very much involved in the title race. This makes it 6 teams with genuine title hopes making it one of the most exciting seasons in recent years.

But without any doubt all eyes will be on Grovehill Ballpark this Sunday, 17 June, for the Falcons vs Mustangs clash. First pitch 12:00pm.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

“Pimping” a home run

Mike Osborn demonstrating his beautiful, and respectful, home run trot after he hit his first home run of the season on Sunday (photo courtesy of hp2photographic.com)

One of the many talking points after Sunday’s biggest game of the NBL season so far was the altercation after the 3-run home run by Edwin Alcantara which tied the game in the bottom of the sixth inning.

For a few minutes while the game was stopped fans were in the dark about what had sparked this confrontation. Even when different versions of events started circling around Grovehill Ballpark some fans were still fidning it difficult to understand the precise reasons.

Baseballgb.co.uk writer and Project COBB founder, Joe Gray, who was at the game reported on the incident in an article which enhances the post-match analysis so hertsbaseball.com was keen to post a link to the article (Click to view).

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts looking to add softball programme

Over the last 16 years Herts Baseball Club has built an impressive baseball programme and is currently one of the leading clubs in the United Kingdom. Herts have thriving adult and youth baseball programmes and high grade facilities but the one big component which has been missing has been a softball programme.

hertsbaseball.com had the opportunity to chat with club president, Aspi Dimitrov, about the prospect of softball being played in Hertfordshire.

hertsbaseball.com: We understand that the club is exploring the option to add softball. How did this idea come up?

Aspi Dimitrov: Although baseball is the multi-billion dollar sport watched by millions on TV around the world, a large proportion of people like to show their passion for baseball by playing softball which is the more recreational version of the game. During MLB’s All Star week celebrities and former baseball players get together for the MLB All Star Softball Game and it is the ideal way to get male and female players of all ages and ability playing together. Herts has baseball teams playing in all senior and youth leagues of British Baseball so we are already able to accommodate players of various abilities and ages into our baseball teams, however adding softball would enable us to make the game appealing for an even wider audience.

hertsbaseball.com: When did the idea of adding softball come about?

Aspi Dimitrov: The club has been eager to add softball for many years now and is something which the Herts Executive Board has discussed on many occasions. The main obstacle which has stopped us from making it possible has been that we need one or two members who would be able to give up some of their spare time to drive the project forward. We have so many members but they are all baseball-mad so they have been reluctant to give up their baseball time.

hertsbaseball.com: How do you plan to overcome this hurdle?

Aspi Dimitrov: We are hoping to organise several softball events this year and this may attract these key members who can provide the platform which we can build on. We already had one softball event on April 1 which was part of the 2012 NBL Opening Day celebrations at Grovehill Ballpark. It went very well. We managed to attract enough players for 4 softball teams. The majority were parents and family members of our youth team families and there were others who came to the ballpark for the first time to give softball a try.

hertsbaseball.com: What is the club hoping to achieve with the softball programme?

Aspi Dimitrov: Softball is very popular and in fact there are more softball teams than baseball teams in this country. The majority of softball teams and leagues are located in central London. There are no softball programmes in Hertfordshire at present. Hertfordshire County, North West London and the surrounding regions are a huge untapped market so there is potential for substantial growth. It is an exciting opportunity. If we find the right people to set up the administrative infrastructure we may be able to double the size of Herts Baseball Club in the next 4 or 5 years and create a large regional softball league here in Hertfordshire. Many softball leagues play their games on weekday evenings so if we can achieve this we can look forward to having baseball and softball league games being played at Grovehill Ballpark every day of the week.

hertsbaseball.com: So what is the next step in the project?

Aspi Dimitrov: We are very fortunate that this summer BSUK will be running softball taster sessions in St. Albans which is just a few minutes away from our ballpark. These will take place every Wednesday evening from 7:00pm to 8:30pm. These sessions will continue for a period of 8 weeks. The first session is on Wednesday, June 20. We have already started recruiting softball players, coaches, and facilitators and this BSUK project will hopefully attract enough new members to enable us to start the softball programme here at Herts. For more details about these softball taster session click here.