Author: Matt Bell

by Matt Bell

Mustangs and Falcons put on a show on par with MLB

Sunday's NBL clash proved to be a real battle (photo by Richard Lee)

written by Cristobal Hiche

NBL (Game 1) Herts Falcons 2 Southampton Mustangs 0 (click to view box scores)

If last week games were close, these games were literally down to the wire. Both games were decided in the last 2 innings. The first game was a pitching duel between injured Robbie Unsell and Gary Davison for Southampton Mustangs. The duel was so good that Robbie ended up with 10K and Gary with 5K. Clearly not much was happening on the field and solid defence on both sides kept more or less the bases empty. Both teams had a few men on base. While Mustangs tried playing small ball to advance the runners, Falcons were looking for line drives to spark a rally. In the bottom of the 6th, Falcons 2nd batter Phil Clark managed to walk and all indicated Falcons should try to play small ball and advance the runner. However the dilemma for manager Lee Manning was that the heart of the order (3rd-5th batter) was coming up. Ryan Bird solved this dilemma by hitting the 1st pitch deep into RF. A blast that put Herts 2-0 ahead and psychologically KO’ing Southampton. They couldn’t do anything on top of the 7th with Robbie striking out the last 2 batters. A solid, much-needed win for a Falcons that didn’t have the starting line-up. Dave House, Jordan Farkas, Dave Tretheway, and Xavi Gonzalez were all missing this afternoon. However, AAA call-ups Louie Hare and Mike Cattlemore, and the season debut of Kevin Niedringhaus and Felix Perez did a tremendous job to minimise the absence of the regular players.

Moments after the game-ending play of game two

NBL (Game 2) Herts Falcons 4 Southampton Mustangs 3 (click to view box scores)

The second game was no different. Mustangs were able to score 1 run in the top of the 1st and Falcons couldn’t get anything going in their favour. But in the bottom of the 3rd all of a sudden Falcons looked like the team we used to see last year. Everybody started to hit or being selective at the plate, drawing walks. The result was 4 runs in one inning which we haven’t seen since the game against Nationals a few months ago. Michael Osborn, who before this game had a lifetime record of 5-0 against Southampton, was keeping their bats quite with his nasty curveball. The curveball was impressive as seen from the press box but that meant that Michael’s arm was getting a bit tired and Mustangs managed to score a run thanks to a solo HR by Alberto Rodriguez. Falcons allowed the Mustangs to load the bases but Osborn used his remaining energy to induce ex-Falcons player Kimiyoshi Saionji to a pop-fly to end the inning. Manager Lee Manning took the right decision to bring Robbie Unsell who was sitting on the bench due to his injury to come and close the game. It was a gamble since Robbie had already pitched 7 innings and Mustangs knew what to look for. Southampton managed to have men on 1st and 3rd thanks to a dropped 3rd strike that Lee Manning couldn’t properly handle. The reason was that Lee had just come into the game due to (again!) a minor injury to starting catcher Dave Westfallen and Robbie’s slider was wicked all day long. Lee didn’t expect that big drop at the end of the pitch. However, in a very strange decision that will leave many Mustang fans puzzled, Justin Frosina who was 1-3 in the game, was sent to try the squeeze play not once, not twice, but 3 times and that meant he bunted foul with 2 strikes which is an automatic strikeout. And to add drama to this ending, another nasty slider meant Lee had to block the ball which escaped just a few feet down the 3rd base side. Alberto Rodriguez decided to take the risk and steal home and in a very close play at home he was tagged out by Robbie Unsell who went to cover the plate. Unfortunately he re-injured his ankle. This meant it wasn’t much of a victory celebration as all teammates went to home plate to check on him. He had to be carried off the field and in a class act, all Southampton players clapped to wish Robbie all the best in his recovery.

Lee Manning said after the game: “Our pitching and defence were amazing today. We got some timely hitting but our hitting still needs to improve a bit.” Asked if it’s still a worry that Falcons are not scoring many runs, Falcons manager replied: “[Given the amount of injuries] I’m not too worried about the lack of hitting. Once we get our 9 starters I think our hitting will pick up. Now it’s a matter to win enough games to get us into the post-season. These 2 victories take us a bit closer to that goal.” On the other side of the field we were given a similar analysis: “[Both games] were hard fought. I think for both sides they were not bad games. These two low-scoring games went against expectations given the offensive power we both have shown in the past. We’re obviously not happy with the two losses and with the amount of runs that we scored”.

Both games were fantastic and as a reporter I will allow myself to give an opinion. Although I agree with both managers that these have been very good offensively teams in the past and the box scores for today clearly shows a lack of that, I think they were not just good games. I think they were MLB type games. I think this does not reflect that hitting was missing but rather that pitching has greatly improved. As a reporter who has covered many leagues around the world, it is always the case that pitching is always behind hitting. You just need to look no further than lower-tier leagues here in the UK where most games end up with 20+ runs. The average MLB game is only about 8 runs. Thus to me these games were better quality, still with some offensive action (2HR, one in each game by each team), close plays, close calls, and every single error by all those involved in the field can make a big difference. What does this mean? Better quality baseball in the UK and an open invitation to all fans to come down support Herts Falcons knowing you’ll have a great experience at the ballpark!

 

by Matt Bell

Giants Take a 2-1 Lead in U11s

You can learn a lot of surprising things from following @hertsbaseball on twitter or HertsBaseballClub on facebook.

Sure, you get the latest results from the Herts baseball community, including the Eagles’ recent 31-30 triumph over the Raptors. (As our friends at Southampton Mustangs commented, when did Herts switch to playing American football?)

But you also pick up snippets of news from the baseball world outside the HP postcode area. Such as the story that Prince Harry hit a ball out of the park when visiting a team in New York. Or the revelation that David Cameron has been mugging up on baseball books to prepare for his latest meeting with President Obama. Clearly, we need to sign Harry up for the Raptors, and I’m sure Coach Mike can find a role for the PM as assistant U11 coach.

While those negotiations are ongoing, our existing coaching staff continues its work in developing this promising group of Under-11s. And so to the third game in the Giants v Dodgers series, on 18th May. The series was tied 1-1, after the Giants recorded a 7-6 win the previous week.

This time the Giants were the visitors and first up. On the mound: Alex Trautman. Nicholas Durer got the scoring underway with a triple, bringing Christian Lynch home for an RBI. Three strike-outs later, the Dodgers had a chance to reply, as Lewis Auchterlounie made his pitching debut for the Giants. After Alex Trautman reached on error, Lucas Lebrato hit a line drive to the fence and got right round the bases before the Giants were able to get the ball back to the catcher. 2-1 Dodgers.

Top of the second – Lewis Auchterlounie drove in a double, and Alex Jones hit a single to move Lewis to third. Alex turned to run for second, but was tagged out, although this allowed Lewis to reach home base for the Giants’ second run. After detailed post-game consultations regarding rule 10.04, the scorers, perhaps harshly, declined to grant Alex the RBI in this case.

Christian Lynch pitched the second inning for the Giants. A strikeout and two professional-looking groundouts between third baseman Josh Jones and first baseman Nicholas Durer kept the Dodgers scoreless. 2-2.

Back to the top of the order for the Giants. Nicholas Durer hit another double, and made it to home base on error after a single from Ben Jupp. For the Dodgers, Alex Trautman, Lucas Lebrato, Joe Gipple, Noah Haines and Rory Vangundy all hit singles, resulting in three runs to bring the score to 5-3 Dodgers.

In the fourth, both teams had runners in scoring position but couldn’t add to their totals.

In the fifth and final inning, the Giants hit their stride. With Lucas Lebrato now pitching, Josh Jones singled, and Ben Jupp hit a ground rule double. These two made it home on the next play after a couple of errors in the field, to tie the score. At this point, Lucas had struck out two Giants batters, and the Giants had two runners in scoring position. The match hung in the balance. Then Alex Jones singled for an RBI and the Giants had a one-run lead.

Maybe it was the tension, or maybe a little tiredness was creeping in. But the Dodgers seemed to be losing their edge in the field; a string of errors allowed the Giants to score two more, and load the bases once again. Josh Jones then drove in a two-RBI single, and suddenly the Giants were up 10-5.

This proved too much for the Dodgers, who were scoreless in the final inning under pressure from some accurate pitching from Josh Jones.

The Giants and Dodgers now combine forces to represent Herts in under-11 games at an event in Richmond on Saturday 25th May. Results for those games, together with other important breaking news stories, will be available on your social network of choice.

Season Statistics

by Matt Bell

A setback for injury-hit Falcons in NBL title race

Xavier Gonzalez (left) and Robbie Unsell sustained injuries in game one at the Essex Arrows (photo by Will Baxter)

written by Cristobal Hiche

It’s hard to fully describe these two games. They were very good, and more importantly, very close games. There was very good defence, good hitting, good pitching but nothing out of the ordinary. Giovanni’s triple for the Arrows was probably the only big hit of the day. John Bloise’s tremendous diving catch in CF was probably the only web gem of the day. There were just very few errors made by both teams but nothing that probably affected the games. If there’s a way to describe it, I would say they were “vanilla games” but probably the best vanilla you have ever eaten in your life! Why?

The answer is pretty simple. Two games that went to the wire will always be a good game to watch. In these types of games, players and managers are battling it out there and giving their 100% the entire game because there’s no chance to get relaxed since that can cost you dearly. Any small mistake can swing one way or the other and one pitch could make the difference.

The first game started with Arrows scoring a run in the 2nd but the Falcons were able to score a run in the next 3 innings. By the top of the 5th inning it was 3-1 for the Falcons but they could never mount a rally to give themselves some room to breathe. Barry Wiles was pitching a solid game. Although at times he would put a few men on base, Essex Arrows also couldn’t start a rally. By the 6th inning it was 4-2 and both teams were just trying to produce a run playing small ball and getting the fundamentals right because it was going to be a close game ‘til the end. However, Herts was able to score a few more in the 7th and was 6-2 for Herts in the bottom of the 7th. A Herts fan would have thought that was definitely enough to win it, but they would have been wrong. Essex managed to get some timely hits and make it 6-5 before Ryan Bird came to close the game. With a man on 3rd and 2 outs, an unrostered new Essex player had just entered the game and with limited baseball experience he had to face one of the fastest pitchers in the league. Somehow, and credit to him, he was able to put the ball in place with a slow chopper down the middle and in a rare error by the dynamic Xavi-Robbie duo, they both couldn’t get to the ball and make the final out. Game tied. The Falcons responded well by scoring 3 runs in extra innings and shutting down the Arrows in the bottom of the inning to seal a 9-6 win.

John Blose made the play of the day with a diving catch in centerfield

The bad news of that first game was the injuries to both Xavi (hamstring) and Robbie (ankle) which meant they both sat out the second game. Without their 1-2 batters and the defensive duo, Herts still went to battle and tried to get that 2nd win. Darrin Ward and and Lance Louw got into a pitching duel taking a 1-1 score into the bottom of the 6th. Arrows again were able to start a small rally and were able to score 3 runs in the bottom of the 6th to put a dagger into Herts. Herts showed some heart (pun intended) and looked to repeat the scenario from the first game. They scored a run and had runners on 2nd and 3rd with two outs. A single would tie the game, but Lance Louw showed composure and struck out Carlos Velazco-Carus to end the game and give the victory to the Arrows.

Manager Lee Manning said after the game: “In the first game we played the way I expect us to play. Second game we didn’t hit the way I expected us to hit. Not taking anything away from Essex but we seem to be struggling with all these weeks off not playing.” Asked if the injuries could have affected the outcome of the second game, he added: “I think any team in the league would suffer if they lose their middle infielders, and in our case we feel our middle infielders are the best in the league, so their absence is bound to affect us. The guys that filled in did an amazing job but that meant we left holes in other parts of the field.” Essex Manager Steve Simmons summarised the day by saying: “I’m very pleased the way we played all day long. Unfortunately [in the first game] we ran out of pitching and they managed to score.” And then added “…[Second game] we played basics ball, we played fundamentals, ran the bases well, clutch hitting and didn’t make any critical errors.”

The season is getting quite interesting with all teams close together and the London Mets look like they are running away with it at the moment. This is the stage of the season where the fans can have a big impact. The Falcons are playing against a tough Southampton team at home next Sunday, May 26. An opportunity to come down to the ballpark and make some noise to try to grab two necessary wins against their immediate opponents.

 

by Matt Bell

A Game of 90 Minutes

It was the latest match-up in this old, celebrated fixture. These two teams, local rivals, fought for glory. It was top-of-the-table against bottom-of-the-table. Neutrals sided with the plucky underdogs – could they defy the odds?  It was an hour and a half of intense action, back and forth, no quarter given. But, in the last seconds of the game, the favourites were beaten, by a margin of one.

Yes, the FA Cup Final was a cracking game. But earlier, 15 miles away from Wembley, Grovehill Ballpark witnessed the Giants taking on the Dodgers once again.

We kicked off with practice, focusing on hitting and pitching, together with some infield drills. A smaller group of potential pitchers developed their accuracy on the mound. This year’s effort to entrust pitching duties to the players rather than the coaches seems to be the right call.

The under-14s and under-17s had practice sessions, so we had the use of the new diamond, with the fence pegged out barely beyond the adults’ infield. Aspi manned the public address system, and called out the lineups for us. A huddle comprising the cream of the Herts coaching staff stood watching from the pavilion, joined today by Sam Dempster, Head Coach of the Great Britain national squad. Lesser teams might have been daunted by the pressure. But not our under-11s.

The Dodgers were the visitors today, and first up at bat. Ben Jupp was on the mound. William Morillo got the ball rolling with a single, and before long the Dodgers had two runs on the board after a few fielding errors. Lucas Lebrato hit a line drive for a double to bring home Noah Haines for the third run. But with two runners in scoring position the Giants were able to get the third out to keep the score at 3-0.

In reply, with Lucas Lebrato pitching, the Giants picked up their first run when Ben Jupp singled to bring home Christian Lynch. Lewis Auchterlounie repeated the trick, and Noah Lynch hit another single to load the bases with no outs. The Dodgers were relieved to strike out the next three batters, and the score was 3-2 to the Dodgers at the bottom of the first.

The second inning was scoreless for both teams. Jupp pitched a no-hit second inning for the Giants – two strike-outs and a 4-3 groundout. In similar form, Lebrato allowed only one single in disposing of the Giants.

For the third inning, Christian Lynch took over the pitching role for the Giants. Noah Haines reached first on an error, and Lucas Lebrato continued his good form with the bat, with another double, although he was forced out after he and Noah both tried to occupy third base at the same time. Jonathan Wakelam was the victim of a 1-3 groundout, although Noah Haines made it home on the throw. The Dodgers were retired with a 4-2 lead, though, as Alex Troutman struck out looking, leaving runners on first and third.

The Giants quickly loaded the bases, with a couple of errors and a single from Alex Jones. Christian Lynch then hit a two-RBI single, and Nicholas Durer hit a line drive single to bring Alex Jones home. Ben Jupp then fired a ball to the fence for a double and two further runs. That was the maximum five runs for the inning, and 7-4 to the Giants after three.

Nicholas Durer now came in as pitcher. Joe Gipple and Lucas Lebrato both secured RBIs with singles, to bring the score to 7-6. With two outs, and runners on first and second, Lenny Flavin came to the plate, and hit a fly ball up to Oliver Durer at third base. Oliver dropped it, but kept his head, grabbed the ball from the dirt, and tagged Lucas out at third. And that was the ballgame.

Practice over for the under-17s and under-14s, we had been joined by a trio of older brothers. Callum Vangundy cheered on Rory as he batted. Jose Morillo shouted encouragement at William, and Ben Jones offered ‘advice’ to his little brother Alex. Watching the five to ten year-olds giving it their all, Sam Dempster seemed impressed. As he commented, “everyone starts here”.

Game Summary

Season Statistics:

 

by Matt Bell

The NBL has a new leader. Title race wide open.

Herts game two starter Robbie Unsell pitched a gem allowing only 2 earned runs

written by Cristobal Hiche

A Herts fanatic would try to find many excuses to justify two painful losses suffered this Saturday afternoon in Finsbury Park against the London Mets. The fact is London Mets won two hard fought games with determination.

They led every inning in both games besides the 1st inning of the 1st game because Falcons scored 2 runs in top of the 1st and looked poised for another high scoring Falcons victory. However Mets fought back in the bottom of that opening inning, tied the game, and slowly but surely kept scoring thanks to timely hitting throughout the game. By the 3rd inning it was 8-2 for the Mets. Offensively Herts looked nothing like previous outings but they looked to make a comeback in the 5th with 2 runs. Mets had none of that and scored 5 runs in the bottom of the inning. Herts wouldn’t give up scoring another 3 in the 6th, yet Mets made sure not to give a window of opportunity to mount a rally, and scored another 3 runs in the bottom of the 6th to leave the score 16-7 (final score). Mets manager Erick Henson said: “The Herts team is always a great opponent. We just hit the ball really well. I need to look the stats with more detail but it felt that with even 2 outs and men on base, we were able to bring them in”.

Click to view game 1 stats

The 2nd game was quite the opposite with great pitching from Robbie Unsell and Pietro Sollecito. Although Robbie pitched a great complete game (7 innings) and gave up only 2 earned runs, it was Mets veteran Pietro who stole the show. Not having overpowering pitches and facing the best offensive team in the league, Pietro not only kept Falcons bats quiet but was throwing a perfect game until the top of the 5th and pitched a shutout until the top of the 7th. Up to this point, he just worked both sides of the plate, hitting the corners, and making sure Herts batters hit the pitches he wanted them to hit. Like any great pitching performance, defence also played its part making great catches to some solid hitting by Falcons players.

With the score 4-0 in the top of the 7th and the top of the order coming up, Herts took the approach to score at least 1 run to avoid the shutout for the 1st time in 2 years. This gave them the focus to be aggressive at the plate and on the bases. Before you knew it, it was 4-2 with man on 3rd and 2nd base with 1 out. Herts manager Lee Manning put pinch-hitter Ben Marques for Darrin Ward and Mets manager Erick Henson made the tough decision keeping Pietro on the mound with a reliever ready in the bullpen. Pietro didn’t disappoint his manager and induced the next 2 batters to hit fly balls and keep the runners on base. Great ending for a great game.

Click to view game 2 stats

It’s an unusual outcome for the Falcons who got swept for the 1st time in 2 years and didn’t look sharp all day long. As usual, it’s hard to tell if the loss was a product of the Falcons poor performance or Mets just playing better. Probably it was a combination of both. As manager Lee Manning mentioned in the post-game conference, “We hit very poorly. We didn’t field properly. Our pitching was good”. Regardless, expect 2 very good games next time they meet as the Falcons look to avenge these losses and the Mets try to confirm they didn’t get the Falcons on a poor day but rather they’re the team to beat this year.

These two wins for the Mets take them to the top of the NBL standings with a perfect 4-0 record, while the Falcons (5-3) are now in third place, a game back on the new leaders. Herts rest next week. They return to league action on 19 May as they travel across the county border to play against rivals Essex Arrows (2-4).

Team W L Pct GB GP RF RA
Mets 4 0 1.000 – 4 39 16
Mustangs 5 1 0.833 – 6 46 26
Falcons 5 3 0.625 1 8 70 39
Blazers 3 3 0.500 2 6 51 36
Diamondbacks 3 3 0.500 2 6 24 40
Nationals 2 4 0.333 3 6 44 43
Arrows 2 4 0.333 3 6 34 36
Pirates 2 4 0.333 3 6 30 60
Redbacks 2 6 0.250 4 8 41 83

 

 

by Matt Bell

Giants and Dodgers Back to Business

Honestly, you’d think I’d have learned by now.

After, what, three seasons of taking my sons to Hemel Hempstead to play baseball, I should be used to the unusual climatic conditions to be found at Grovehill Ballpark.

But on Saturday I stepped outside my front door in North London, sniffed the warm spring air, glanced at the boys in their Herts T-shirts and we drove north. We pulled up at the ballpark, under menacing dark clouds, in temperatures fully fifteen degrees lower than when we left. All around me were better-prepared families with puffa jackets, skiing gloves and thermos flasks.

Aspi gathered us together for the Opening Ceremony, sound system at the ready. In truth, Aspi serves as Herts Baseball President solely so that he can play at being DJ to large crowds. Move over Fatboy Slim… Aspi’s in the house.

The massed ranks of the newly-renamed Herts Harriers, Herts Cardinals, and the two Herts U11 teams assembled on the first base line. With them stood the visiting London Mets U17 team, exchanging puzzled looks. On the horizon, it looked grim. Those dark clouds drew nearer.

The National Anthem was played. Caps were doffed; Americans amongst us placed hand on heart and sang lustily, while the Brits kept quiet and looked vaguely uneasy.  It always seems incongruous to hear “God Save the Queen”, rather than “The Star-Spangled Banner”.  Yet, given the approaching precipitation, a better choice might have been “Hail to the Chief”.

After taking refuge in the changing rooms, we headed off to play the U11 season opener. The under-14s had a practice session, so we had the unusual privilege of playing on the old diamond.

The transfer market has been active during the off season. The Giants traded Alex Trautman in exchange for Nicholas Durer, while Noah Haines also made the switch to the Dodgers. Both teams have benefited from a number of draft picks. For the Giants, we welcome Sebastian Bohn, Lenny Flavin, and the Zneimer trio of Lily, Lexi and Leo. The Dodgers are also proud to announce their new signings – Chloe and Callie Amsterdam, Amber Chisholm and Joe Gipple.

The game was a rain-shortened four inning affair. This season we will have players pitching; after four balls a coach will pitch until the batter is out or gets on base.

With the Dodgers as the home team, Ozan Martin opened the pitching with an impressive display of control, striking out the first three Giants batters.

Christian Lynch pitched first for the Giants, and drew Alex Trautman into flying out to Oliver Durer at shortstop, before William Morillo fell to a 4-3 ground-out, and Jonathan Wakelam struck out swinging.  So 0-0 after the first.

After another two strikeouts, the Giants got bat on ball in the second inning; Nicholas Durer and Lexi Zneimer hit singles, leaving Nicholas on third, but alas Lily Zneimer hit a flyball to Ozan as pitcher to end the inning.

Joshua Jones now took over pitching duties for the Giants. With Ozan Martin and Thomas Garton on base, Noah Haines doubled on a wild throw to bring home Ozan for the RBI. Chloe Amsterdam then stepped up to hit a line drive double for a second run, and her sister Callie singled for another RBI, making it 3-0 to the Dodgers after two.

Alex Trautman now pitched for the Dodgers. With one out, Noah Lynch, Leo Zneimer and Lenny Flavin each hit singles to load the bases. Lewis Auchterlounie drove home one run although Leo was forced out at third. The Giants were denied a second run as Lenny Flavin was tagged out at third base.

With Ben Jupp now on the mound, the Dodgers batters hit their groove, with singles from Joe Gipple, Alex Trautman, Jonathan Wakelam, Ozan Martin, Thomas Garton, Rory Vangundy and Noah Haines. Five runs were scored, which automatically brought the inning to an end.  The scoreboard showed 8-1 to the Dodgers after three, and the Giants had a lot of ground to make up.

New signing Lucas Lebrato pitched the last for the Dodgers, an inning characterized by some strong hitting from Ben Jupp and Joshua Jones. But Lebrato managed to find the strike zone with some good accurate pitching, and finally struck out Nicholas Durer to end the inning as the rain returned. With the score at 8-2, that was the ballgame – no need for the Dodgers to bat again.

All the pitchers on display showed great promise – there will clearly be stiff competition for the coveted All-Starts starting pitcher slot.

Players, coaches and supporters alike deserved three cheers and a warming cup of cocoa (available at a very reasonable price on the concession stand). They call baseball players the “Boys [and girls] of Summer” for a reason – it’s a tough game to play in the cold. We should reassure new players and their families that the sun sometimes shines at Grovehill. But whatever Tomasz Schafernaker may say, always throw a coat in the back of the car.

Giants:

Dodgers:

by Matt Bell

Perfect Falcons travel to Harlow to sweep the Nationals

Cristobal Hiche hit the first Falcons home run of the 2013 season in the first game of the day (photo by Will Baxter)

written by Cris Hiche

The 9-0 in the 1st inning of the first game and 14-0 by the 2nd inning summarises the difference Falcons showed against the 2-time NBL champions Harlow Nationals throughout the day. A lot can be said about the game and both teams will draw their own conclusions. The fact is Falcons did everything perfect. Pitching was great, hitting was great, defence was great, and running was great. With such a high score, there’s bound to be great highlights and there were. Cris Hiche blasted the first home run of the season for the Falcons to right field. The defensive and impressive duo of Robbie Unsell (2B) and Xavi Gonzales (SS) was up to the highest level once again. John Bloise (LF), Barry Wiles (3B), Phil Clark (1B), and Dave House (C) were solid. However, Dave Tretheway (RF) stole the show with a tremendous diving catch.

It is important to note that Nationals looked awful out there and they’ll be the first to admit it. They committed an unusual amount of easy errors from experienced players and their bats were too quiet. Credit to winning pitcher Jordan Farkas, who although didn’t have the velocity of previous outings, managed to control the game. Nevertheless, Nationals is always a dangerous team and was able to score some runs to end up with a more “decent” final score of 16-8 for the Falcons. Pitcher Jordan Farkas said after the game: “My arm was dead since the first inning and didn’t have the speed. So I used my control to outsmart the always dangerous Nationals lineup. I got the run support which is always great for a pitcher.”

Herts pitcher Darrin Ward was in control in game two (photo by Project COBB Photography http://projectcobb.org.uk/)

And if you thought the second game would be much closer and hard-fought, well it wasn’t. It was a deja-vu with again solid defence, running, hitting and pitching by the Falcons. The player of the match was without a doubt pitcher Darrin Ward who with his vast experience shutdown their lineup once again. It was so one-sided that by the bottom of the 7th it was still 8-0 with 2 outs and no man on base. ‘Wardie’ relaxed a bit and walked the next batter. Of course baseball is about momentum and the Nationals used that little window of opportunity to score one run to spoil Darrin Ward’s perfect day and avoid a shutdown (Final score 8-1).

Some of the highlights of the game were some good defensive plays by several Nationals players (trying to stop the numerous Falcons hits) and as imagined, little can be said of the Falcons defence because they were barely challenged. Yet the only time the Nationals could have done something with man on second and one out with a deep fly ball to center, a ‘textbook, MLB style’ 8-6-5 relay was performed to execute the double play and finish the inning. Cris Hiche mentioned after the game: “I really enjoyed that double play. It was beautiful all the way and I love throwing people out like that. I enjoyed it more than the HR in the first game.” Manager Lee Manning summarised the day: “Two great games and is fantastic to sweep the Nationals. Our team played excellent in every aspect of the game and this gives us confidence that we can achieve our goal this year.”

With the next games on Saturday 4th of May at Finsbury Park against the London Mets, I really encourage all adults and youth players of the Herts family and those from other organisations to come watch two great teams battle each other and see these exciting Falcons try to make it 7-1 for the season.

 

by Matt Bell

Falcons bounce back after dramatic walk-off loss

Falcons player-manager, Lee Manning, came up big with a 3-run double in game two (photo by Will Baxter)

written by Cristobal Hiche

The weather was perfect for some great baseball if it wasn’t for some strong winds from right to left field which effectively killed the “long ball” from the game. This set the tone for the first game in which solid pitching by Jordan Farkas (Herts) and Ryan (Diamondbacks), kept batters at bay with few hits and no runs scored by either team in the first 4 innings. Added to that was the fact that both teams weren’t efficient and both teams left too many men on base. In fact, Herts had men on 2nd and 3rd with no outs in the first inning but the heart of the order couldn’t bring the runners home. Lakenheath also had the bases loaded with 1 out in the bottom of the 3rd but ended up empty.

Both teams realised this game was going to go down to the wire and a small mistake could prove costly. Also, both teams realised they needed to manufacture runs and switched strategies by playing small ball. Sacrifice and drag bunts were attempted but a great play by third baseman James Brooks prevented Herts left fielder John Blose reaching base on a great surprise bunt down the line.

It wasn’t until the bottom of the 5th when Xavier Gonzales made an error on a very routine ground ball. The ball made an unusual bounce due to poor ground conditions and Xavi couldn’t do anything about it. Tough luck but this sparked the Dbacks to go on and score 3 runs. Herts felt the blow and quickly bounced back to tie the game at 3-3 in the top of the 6th inning. All looked like it was going to extra innings with quick two outs in the bottom of the 7thinning, but Jordan Farkas’ pitch count was rising and he gave up the first and only walk of the game for him, which at the end of the day proved to be costly. Matt Mulvaney, who was already 2-3 in the game, hit a timely line drive for a double in the gap in left-centerfield. The runner was held at 3rd base, but Shawn Benton became the hero with a single up the middle, which neither Robbie Unsell (2B) nor Xavier Gonzalez (SS) could reach. Walk-off single – game over.

This was truly a MLB-type game, with solid pitching, changing strategies by both teams, and with a nail biting finish which unfortunately didn’t go the way the Falcons wanted. “We left too many guys on base and we didn’t give Jordan the run support his pitching deserved” said Falcons manager, Lee Manning, after the game.

Click to view game 1 box scores

Given the disappointment by the Herts players and believing they should have won the first game, they were hungry to respond in the second game. They came out of the dugout with determination and in the top of the first they scored 5 runs. The highlight of this inning was a great 3-run bases-clearing-double by Lee Manning, proving the manager still has the skills to play at the top level. This proved to be enough as Darrin Ward again pitched a solid game, managing the game and his pitching repertoire to keep the Diamondbacks’ bats quiet. It was only in the 3rd inning that the heart of the Dbacks batting order managed to string a few singles together and scored two runs. With 2 outs and a man on first and third, Matt Mulvaney who was 3-4 with that great double in the first game, came up to the plate with the potential tying run. However, Ward won the battle and Matt hit a ground ball to second for a routine 4-3 play. Herts managed to get an insurance run in the 5th and sealed the game with additional 3 runs in the top of the 7th.

Click to view game 2 box scores

Herts Falcons Manager, Lee Manning, felt that the team responded well after the difficult loss in the first game.  He said: “we quickly picked ourselves up and exploded on the ball. Wardy (Darrin Ward) coasted through the game and we never looked back.” Manning added that “It’s always hard to travel to Lakenheath with the extra players they have for their home games. The wind played its part and affected both teams. Losing the way we did in game 1 was hard for the boys to take but we showed spirit to get ahead early in game 2 and stay there.”

Standout Herts players:

Robbie Unsell: 3-5, 1R, 2RBI, 3BB, 3SB, 1K

Darrin Ward: 7IP, 2R, 2ER, 3SO, 3BB

Xavier Gonzales: 3-6, 4R, 2 doubles, 2BB, 1SB

 

by Matt Bell

Before the birds soared: A history of baseball in Hertfordshire

While the neighbouring county of Essex adds a rich layer to the history of British baseball, the sport has burgeoned in Hertfordshire only in recent years. This article by Joe Gray, Herts Baseball Club’s newly appointed historian, chronicles adult baseball in the land of the pasqueflower.

The most remarkable feature of baseball’s history in Hertfordshire up until the last quarter of a century is the dearth of teams that have formed and the transiency of those that did.

The records and documents available at the time of writing reveal the existence, before 1987, of just a pair of teams from Hertfordshire that have competed in the British baseball leagues. Both appeared to have played for a solitary season. The first of these teams was the De Havilland Comets.

In 1954, after having played friendlies the previous year, the De Havilland Comets put together a 2–6 record to finish fourth out of five teams in the South Eastern Baseball League’s second tier. They did, however, claim some silverware, for they beat the Aveley Cubs—sufferers of a winless season in the top tier—by a score of 14–13 in the final of the league’s Invitation Tournament.

The Comets played their home games in 1954 in Leavesden—an urban continuation of Watford’s northern suburbs, today famous for its film studios—which was the home of the De Havilland aircraft manufacturer’s engine-building offshoot. During the years immediately preceding World War II, the aircraft manufacturer had sponsored the De Havilland Comets baseball team in the London County Baseball Association’s Senior Amateur League, but at time they played in Edgware, north-west London.

By 1955 the Comets had folded once more. But at least the airline manufacturer had an enduring impact in the field of long-distance travel. Its plane the DH 106 Comet, which was developed and manufactured at the company’s Hatfield site, became the first commercial jet airliner when it made its maiden flight with fare-paying passengers in 1952. Whether the baseball team of the 1950s was named after this aircraft or followed the moniker of the pre-World War II outfit is not known. That team from the late 1930s was probably named after the DH.88 Comet, an early aviation record-setter.

In 1961, it looked like league baseball might return to Hertfordshire. That season, a company named BSP Industries affiliated itself with the Southern Baseball Association as a non-competitive entrant. It secured the use of Borehamwood Football Club’s ground and announced that its team would be playing in a blue uniform with yellow trim. But the outfit never played league baseball and had folded before the 1962 season.

Thus it is not until 1969 that league baseball seems to have re-emerged in the county. In what appears to have been their only season in British baseball, the Watford Sun-Rockets (combining the name of their affiliate firm Sun Printers with the “Rockets” on the jerseys donated to them by a US Air Force base at Ruislip) made their home at a playing field in Oxhey, south Watford, in the second-tier Southern Senior League. Famously, they beat the Liverpool Trojans in the final of a national knock-out competition that determined the British champions that year.

(image courtesy of www.projectcobb.org.uk)

The final was played at Harvey Haddon Stadium in Nottingham on Monday 1 September and was one of the all-time classics of British baseball. The game entered the top of the eighth with the Trojans holding a 6–3 lead. In that frame, Watford managed to load the bases with two outs, and Don Spencer, who had entered the game in the sixth, tripled to tie up the game. The Trojans stranded Spencer at third but could not retake the lead in the bottom half of the frame or, after having blanked the Sun-Rockets in the ninth, in the bottom of the final regulation inning either.

In the 10th inning, Don Brock scored the go-ahead run for Watford on a sacrifice bunt, which was laid down by Don Cummings. This time Liverpool managed to respond, scoring a tying run to take the game into an 11th inning. Once more, though, Watford were able to score a run in the top half of the inning, with Lea being driven in by a hit off the bat of Brock. This time the Trojans could not keep the game alive, falling 8–7. For years after the Trojans maintained that Watford had illegally made use of US service personnel to bolster their squad.

There is no record of league baseball in Watford, or anywhere else in Hertfordshire, between 1970 and 1986. Somewhat cryptically, the Sutton Braves’ 25th anniversary publication, from 1987, refers to a spectacular double play being turned at a game in Watford in the late 1970s or early 1980s, but league listings from those years do not reveal any Hertfordshire-based teams.

More generally, the sparseness of Hertfordshire baseball, before the last quarter of a century, cannot simply be attributed to gaps in the annals. The record is sufficiently rich to reveal the booming baseball scenes of nearby counties, which included: Fred Lewis’s incredible programme around the Oxfordshire town of Chipping Norton in the first half of the 20th century; the colourful patchwork of metropolitan Essex baseball both before and after World War II; and even a six-team senior league centred on Buckinghamshire’s furniture-making hub of High Wycombe in the late 1930s. Similarly, heading only a few miles over the Hertfordshire border into north-west London, one encounters areas—around Barnet, Totteridge, and Mill Hill, for example—where baseball gained a real stronghold at points in the past.

After the famine of many decades for Hertfordshire baseball, the latter half of the 1980s saw the emergence of a relative glut. On 3 May 1987, the Hemel Rebels lost 29–16 to the Waltham Forest Roadrunners. The game was played at Jarman Fields (near where the indoor ski slope is situated today) and was possibly the first competitive baseball game ever played in Hemel Hempstead. This was opening day for the northern bracket of division III (run by the British Baseball Federation South [BBFS]). Over in Enfield, in the same pool, the Hemel Red Sox—another Jarman Fields-based team—bested the City Slick Sidewinders 24–9. The results started a pattern that carried through the season: the Red Sox won the pool with a 12–0 showing, while the Rebels finished bottom with the reverse record. The Red Sox’ unbeaten record looked under threat in the final game as they trailed the Basildon Mariners 10–8 after seven innings, but they flipped the 2-run deficit into an eventual 2-run winning margin.

The Red Sox claimed more silverware by also winning the BBFS division III knock-out shield, toppling Burgess Hill 23–8 in the final, which was played at Rosehill Park on 4 October. To get to the final the Red Sox had overwhelmed the Ashford Condors 45–2, beaten Croydon Bluejays II 16–5, and pipped the Reading Royals 8–7. The double-trophy success continued this run of Hertfordshire teams starting with a bang.

Following their promotion, the Red Sox stormed BBFS division II too in 1988, compiling a 22–2 record to claim a second consecutive divisional title. The Rebels fared slightly better than they had done in their first season, winning three times in their 20-game schedule in the division III central bracket. A third Jarman Fields-based team competed as well that season, in the shape of Red Sox II. They finished with a 6–13 record in the same pool as the Rebels. In division III north, the Hoddesdon Sharks, who made their home at Wormley playing fields, had a 1–21 debut season as a fourth Hertfordshire team.

Following their second straight promotion the Hemel Red Sox found themselves in the top tier in 1989. They finished bottom of the southern pool, but with a respectable 7–17 debut effort. Red Sox II had a 5–13 campaign in the division III central pool, finishing ahead of only the 1–17 Hoddesdon Sharks. Red Sox II folded before the 1990 season began and Hoddesdon had met the same fate within the next couple of years.

The Hemel Red Sox were the first tenants at Grovehill Ballpark in the early 1990s

After one season in the top tier, the Red Sox competed in the lower divisions until 1995, when—following a division I title the previous year—they returned for another brief stint in the southern top-tier bracket. They finished with a 5–19 record in 1995 and a 3–18 tally in 1996 (a year in which Hertford University announced it was starting a baseball programme). Those were the club’s last seasons in any level of the league.

Thanks to the Red Sox’ star slugger, Sean Ozolins, they ensured that they left an indelible mark on the British baseball record books. On 9 April 1995 he had a two-homer game against the Crawley Comets. On 9 June 1996 he hit for the cycle against the Essex Arrows. And on 18 August 1996 he clattered a grand slam, against the Arrows again.

Stevenage also had a baseball team in the 1990s. The Stevenage Knights won the Anglia area championship in 1992 and then continued in the lower divisions of southern baseball. But they folded after the end of the 1997 season. It was thus south Watford, or Bushey to be specific, that picked up the Hertfordshire baseball torch once more.

In 1996, the Bushey Falcons were formed and today that outfit, now based in Hemel Hempstead, has flourished into the five-team Herts Baseball Club. The history from 1996 to the present day can be browsed here.

The catchment area for today’s Herts Baseball Club extends beyond the county boundary, most significantly into north-west London. There the game has a tremendously rich history, and this is a potential subject for a future article.

 

by Matt Bell

The Power of Positive Thinking

For at least 5,000 years, people have run, jumped, swam, kicked things, hit each other and thrown a variety of round, oval or pointy objects, all in the name of sport.

At first these games were individual affairs: one Greek against another, lobbing a stone plate into the distance. But at some point we started organising ourselves into teams. Later, perhaps, teams would appoint a captain, someone to lead, motivate or just shout at the other players. Finally, team managers were introduced, to pick the team, plan the strategy and take the blame.

One of the key jobs for any team manager is the team talk. When the half-time whistle blows, and the football players trudge off, three-nil down after some inept defending, the manager will carefully deploy a range of techniques to turn things around. Arsene Wenger may offer a logical analysis of pass completion percentages; while Sir Alex Ferguson prefers the hairdryer and a well-aimed football boot to the kidneys.

In baseball, the manager has more opportunities to butt in with helpful advice: in the dugout, between innings, or during a flamboyant visit to the mound. And in last Saturday’s season finale between the Giants and the Dodgers, Coach Mike Wakelam found the perfect time and the perfect words to make the difference.

Over on the posh diamonds, the U14s and U17s were in playoff action. But here, the drama was somehow more personal. The Giants trailed by three games to one in the series. We would play a 4-inning game, then a 5-inning game. If the Giants could win these two games to draw level, there would be a one-inning decider for the championship title.

Both teams fielded familiar line-ups, with a couple of additions. A new arrival for the Dodgers: Niklas Makwana, a cricketer with a fearsome throwing arm, looking to apply his batting and fielding skills to this, the junior game. Noah Haines came in for the Giants: he also looked pretty handy during pre-game practice.

Game 1 started in a cagey fashion, scoreless after one inning despite Noah Haines hitting a confident double. In the second, Niklas also doubled for the Dodgers, advancing to third on an error in the same play and scoring during the next at-bat. Ozan Martin also scored thanks to a Tom Garton double. But the Giants hit straight back, with a string of singles and two runs. The Giants’ inning was ended with an individual double play, as Tom Garton caught a fly ball from Noah Haines at third base before tagging out Noah Lynch. The scores were tied 2-2. In the third, no Dodgers batters achieved a hit. For the Dodgers, Ben Jupp got on base and scored when Oliver Durer hit a double. Three to two for the Giants. The Dodgers couldn’t find a run at the top of the last, and so Game 1 ended with a narrow win for the Giants.

The Dodgers now held a slim one-game lead over the Giants. Could the Giants level the series ?

The Giants were now the visiting team and first to bat. Alex Trautman singled, then Ben Jupp hit a double to deep right field. Noah Haines hit a single to bring home both Trautman and Jupp, and Haines then scored, as did Lewis Auchterlounie, with RBIs for Oliver Durer and Alex Jones. Four runs to the Giants, which looked more impressive when they picked up three quick outs to close out the Dodgers.

The Giants’ strong batting form continued in the second inning. Alex Trautman bunted cheekily for a single, Christian Lynch got on base, and then Ben Jupp stepped up again to blast a two-RBI triple. Singles from Haines, Oliver Durer, Jones and Trautman brought two more runs, and the Giants suddenly found themselves 8-0 ahead.

Things were looking bleak for the Dodgers, and the mood didn’t improve as they went scoreless again at the bottom of the second. At least they pegged back the Giants in the third, which included a double play as newcomer Noah Haines failed to tag up on a fly ball caught by pitcher Nicholas Durer. At bat, the Dodgers finally got onto the scoreboard, with a ground rule double from Ozan Martin and a line drive from Jonathan Wakelam for a two-RBI single. 8-2 to the Giants after three innings.

Despite achieving three quick outs at the top of the fourth, gloom was spreading in the ranks of the Dodgers. It was hot, players were tired, and they saw the coveted title slipping away from them. Coach Mike gathered his players. “Don’t worry about the score”, he told them “Let’s relax, swing the bat and have fun out there.”

Fired up, the Dodgers looked a changed team. Niklas Makwana hit a single, then managed to sprint home all the way from first base while the Dodgers fielded an outfield line drive from William Morillo. Two more singles loaded the bases, and Ozan Martin stepped up to hit a 2-RBI double straight past second base. Rory Vangundy finished up the inning by hitting a single to bring home Garton and Martin. Five runs to the Dodgers, and now it was 8-7.

Rattled, the Giants hit back. The first seven batters reached first base, and three runs were scored before Oliver Durer was forced out at home plate to close the inning. The Dodgers needed four to tie, five to win. Coach Mike took his team into a huddle. “You hit five runs in the last inning – just go out there and do it again.” A group shout of “Dodgers” filled the Grovehill ballpark.

After five at-bats, they had scored one run but were two down. Ozan Martin then hit a single and Nicholas Durer ran in. Now Jonathan Wakelam hit a huge line drive to the right field fence, allowing Thomas Garton to score and putting Ozan on third. Rory Vangundy came to the plate and followed suit for another RBI. Scores were tied. Up stepped Niklas. He needed only one pitch to drive the ball past Christian Lynch at second base; Jonathan Wakelam sprinted in from third, crossed home plate and the Dodgers erupted.

To mark the end of this Dodgers vs Giants series, there was a short presentation. Coach Paul and Coach Mike awarded medals to the outstanding players of today’s games: Oliver Durer for the Giants, and Niklas Makwana for the Dodgers. Both coaches thanked players and parents for their commitment over the course of a rain-shortened season, and commented on the enormous progress made by all the players in all areas of the game. It only remained to spray the Perrier and present the handsome crystal trophy to the winning Dodgers team, who will keep it until this classic series resumes in the spring.

Game 1

Game 2

Season Batting Averages