RICHMOND RUSTLES UP 3 RUNS AGAINST HERTS' 41Falcons vs. Richmond Riverdogs: 16-2 / 25-1[ BOX SCORE 1 ][ BOX SCORE 2 ]The Riverdogs had a dog-time trying to best a merciless Falcons defense on Sunday, as starting pitchers Bruce Dullea and Louis Hare each threw five-inning slaughter-rule complete-games. For the second week in a row Falcons have forced their opponents to eek out each run. Dullea and Hare each had 7 strikeouts and allowed only two walks combined. Catcher Jason Greenberg kept the Dogs from advancing, cutting down two runners at second and another at third. Falcons pitching has surrendered only one earned run in the season.Falcons offense was unrelenting. Center-fielder Andy Cornish led the charge with two home runs and 5 RBIs. Second-baseman Kimiyoshi Saionji went 5-for-8 with 5 RBIs. Short-stop Yuji Endo snatched four steals and Greenberg contributed 6 doubles and 4 RBIs going 7-for-9 on the day. Altogether the Falcons batted .493 with 20 extra base knocks.Relief right-fielder Robert Crouch made his Falcons debut by batting 1-for-1 with a 2-run scoring double in the final inning before being tagged out at home on some ridiculous base coaching by injured bench-warmer Lee Manning.Next week sends Falcons to face the 2nd-place Milton Keynes Hurricanes (1-1).
Author: Matt Bell
CATASTROPHIC COLAPSE IN 6TH INNING
Hawks @ Shropshire Panthers 7-17[ BOX SCORE ]Hawks made a promising start of the season away at the Shropshire Panthers with a battling performance for five and a half innings going neck and neck against a team that was playing in the prestigious Premier League last season. Going into the bottom of the 6th inning the game was tied 7-7 when disaster struck. A total defensive collapse resulting in 9 runs after 5 hits and 4 errors. The final score was 17-7 to the Panthers.Hawks have to take the many positives from that game and try again next Sunday, 6 May, when they welcome the Bracknell Blazers 2 for their first home game of the season at Grovehill Field, Hemel Hempstead.Before the start of the game both teams held a minute silence as a tribute to Shropshire Panthers’ catcher, Matt Folka, who lost his battle with cancer earlier this month. The game attracted a large crowd with interest from the local press and local photographers.
BRITISH BASEBALL IS BACK – 2007 OPENING DAY PREVIEW
Division One Opening Day Fixtures:
HERTS FALCONS1 vs Guildford Mavericks
HERTS FALCONS2 @
After six long winter months baseball is back. The new season comes with many changes on and off the field for the Hertfordshire Falcons. Both Falcons1 and Falcons2 have new managers, Bruce Dullea and Paul Auchterlounie, respectively. The roster has been strengthened with the addition of promising new players as well as the return of Falcons legend, Stuart Boast, and slugger Andy Cornish who confirmed his return with a walk-off grand slam in spring training against the Birmingham Maple Leafs. The Falcons will also have their first ever female player, Chantal Gerrard.
Both teams face difficult Opening Day opponents. Falcons1 host the Guildford Mavericks while Falcons2 make the long trip to Shropshire where they will face the Shropshire Panthers who last year played in the Premier League and will be hoping to bounce straight back this season.
The British Baseball Federation has made considerable changes to the 2007 League structure and for the first time in the history of the Hertfordshire Falcons, both Falcons1 and Falcons2 will be competing in the same Division. As a result the two teams will meet each other in a competitive league game for the very first time on
Both teams will be hoping to improve on their records from last year in what is expected to be a very competitive Division One race this year.
Kyle Hunlock’s heart still going strong
Last year the Herts Falcons Baseball Club lost player Kyle Hunlock in a tragic accident. Kyle was an organ donor and the club found out recently that his heart has been successfully transplanted to enable someone else to lead a very active and energetic life, including taking part in a 10K walk.
The club has kept in touch with Kyle’s family in America and they have informed us that Kyle’s heart has been successfully transplanted to Jack Hunt, a 60-year old Ohioan who lives just two hours from Kyle’s home. Jack Hunt not only recovered successfully after the operation, but had seen a transformation and was taking part in a 10K mini marathon walk in Cincinnati, Ohio, on 25 March 2007. Coincidentally, it is understood that, shortly before his death, Kyle was making plans to run in a 15K marathon himself.
Kyle died from a fall in a tragic industrial accident last June in Ohio, USA. He had played for the Hert Falcons Baseball Club in 2005 when he was over in England studying at the University of Hertfordshire. In his memory the club retired his number 36 jersey and, in September 2006, staged the first Kyle Hunlock Series between the two Falcons teams.
In March 2007, Kyle and Jack’s story attracted a great deal of interest from the US media around Jack’s mini marathon, including front page coverage in the local newspapers and TV news.
The Herts Falcons Baseball Club send their best wishes and support to Kyle’s family and Jack Hunt.
FALCONS RELEGATED AFTER DRAMATIC EXTRA INNING PLAYOFF LOSS
Burgess Hill Colts capped a successful season in the BBF Leagues with promotion to the Premier Division, the top division in British baseball outside of the National League. The Colts, who finished second in Division 1 South, beat Herts Falcons 13-12 in a breath-taking extra-innings playoff on Sunday, Sept 10. Burgess Hill will take the place of the Falcons’, who finished one off the bottom in Premier Division South.
The result will sweeten the end of the Colts’ season after they reached the final of the Division 1 Final 4 on Sept 3 but fell to Northampton in the last inning. This time it was Burgess Hill who stole the victory late on, coming from 10-6 down after six innings to tie it and go ahead 12-10 in the top of the ninth before Herts forced extra innings with two tying runs in the bottom of the inning. The Falcons had already mounted an early-innings fight-back to take an 8-5 lead after the fifth inning. In the bottom of the ninth they loaded the bases twice to bring the score to 12-12 with a couple of RBI singles but could not bring home the winning run.
In the top of the tenth, the Colts’ Gary Still singled in Steve Cull to go ahead again 13-12. With the pressure on, Herts’ Aspi Dimitrov got agressive, leading off with a single and stealing second, then third base, but his path home was cut short as the three batters following him struck out at the mercy of young Colt Gary Davison, who struck out a total of 16 across his complete-game showing.
The defeat and return to Division 1 baseball halts the rapid progress the Herts Falcons have made over the past couple of years. Dimitrov said, “It is a major setback for our club but we are determined to work our way back and come back stronger next year.”
The Colts, meanwhile, are enjoying a speedy climb in the manner which Herts have exhibited previously. When Herts won promotion to the Premier Division in 2004, not long after joining the BBF Leagues, Burgess Hill were only just putting together a senior team from their successful junior programme.
report courtesy of www.baseballsoftballuk.com
PLAYOFF FEVER HITS HERTFORDSHIRE
It is Playoff-time again in the British Baseball Premier League as the Herts Falcons host the Burgess Hill Colts in a massive one-game playoff to decide which team will play in the Premier League in 2007.
Burgess Hill earned their place in the playoffs by finishing as Runners-up in Division One South. They now have the chance to sink the Herts Falcons back into Division One just 2 years after the Hertfordshire club won promotion to the Premier League.
The Falcons know all about the Colts’ danger man, Great Britain National Team pitcher, Gary Davison, as he has already faced the Herts Falcons’ second team in Division One this season. In his three games against Herts Falcons 2 he had an ERA of 0.00 as well as 2 homeruns, 8 RBI, .750 batting average, 1.750 slugging %.
The Herts Falcons have their own Mr October in Jim Denison. He was voted as the Falcons’ Most Valuable Player in 2005 and represents a home run threat every time he steps into the batter’s box. All eyes will be on his duel with Gary Davison. Last year Jim Denison was the Premier League Home Run leader with 7 homers. This year he is yet to hit the ball out of the park so the law of averages suggests that he is due a big hit in this deciding play-off game and that would be perfect timing for the Falcons.
Davison and Denison are the big guns for the two clubs, but, as is often the case, it could be someone completely unexpected who could make all the difference and swing the game in their team’s favour.
Tha game takes place at 2:30pm on Sunday, 10 September 2006, at the home field of the Herts Falcons in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire. For directions click on the link below:
DIRECTIONS: www.hertsfalcons.co.uk/field/field.html
The 2006 Playoffs continue on the following Sunday, 17 September 2006, once again in Hertfordshire as the Guildford Mavericks take on Herts Falcons2, this time in the Division One playoffs.
2006 KYLE HUNLOCK SERIES PREVIEW
The long awaited 2006 Kyle Hunlock Series gets under way this coming Sunday, 20 August. The Series will separate the men from the boys so the heat is very much on.
2006 has been a tough year for both Falcons 1 and Falcons 2, with regular season win-loss records of 5-15 and 2-9, respectively. The Kyle Series provides a perfect opportunity for both teams to settle a long-running dispute as to who is better, Falcons 1 or Falcons 2.
Both teams go into the weekend missing several of their key players. Falcons 2 will miss their ace pitcher Paul Raybould for most of the Series due to his departure to
For Falcons 1 Louie Hare is likely to miss the Series with a recurring knee injury while Jason Greenberg will miss Games 1 and 2 as he is currently in Seattle on his honeymoon, however sources close to Falcons 1 have reported that in fact he is on an undercover scouting mission recruiting players for 2007.
Tickets for the Series are selling like hot cakes, however fans will be disappointed to hear that they will not be able to enjoy the much-anticipated performance of the national anthem by rock star and Falcons 1 outfielder, Justin Fung. In an embarrassing blunder organisers have admitted that they did not take into account Justin Fung’s pre-scheduled live concert in
Another disappointment is the fact that the traditional pre-game air force fly-by has been scrapped in a cost-cutting exercise. Despite this the fans can look forward to some great baseball.