Author: Rob Jones

16 October 201822 October 2018 by Rob Jones

“Every moment is precious…”

The end of the British baseball season is always a melancholy moment, writes Rob Jones.

I wouldn’t say that it is “sad”, as such. You shouldn’t be sad when something finite ends — that is what gives it its quality. I’m not sad when Christmas ends — if it went on and on, it would not be special.

So I am not sad when the baseball year ends. But it is a melancholy moment. A pensive moment, a time for reflection.

*Rob at bat against Tonbridge (pic: Liam McAvoy)*

On a positive note I should start by saying that my team, the Herts Raptors, achieved a .500 record in the Single-A league this year, which is the baseball baseline for “doing OK”. So we can tick that box.

We had a great bunch of guys, and I always enjoyed getting together to play. The 2018 manager, Matt Jackson, led us all with dedication and the right attitude.

Stunning walkoff

Overall, the club had some real high points in the year. The Herts Falcons reached the NBL final for the first time in six years with some superb playoff wins.

The Under-11s reached the final of their age group at the Youth National Baseball Championships, the first Herts youth side to reach a final since 2013. And they did it with a stunning walkoff victory, which was an added bonus for the kids.

But for me, as for many people involved in British baseball in 2018, it was an odd season. Frustrating. Disappointing. Deflating.

First of all, I have to link all of this into my old man shtick – my body feels each season more keenly, and you always think to yourself “how many more years can I keep doing this?”

I grant you that I am probably being melodramatic. 46 is twice the age of some of our players, but I’m hardly ready for my slippers in the retirement home yet. We had guys come on board late in the season who are, in fact, older than I am.

However, I try to play as many games as I can each year, and at what point does that end? At what point do you become just a substitute, or occasional participant?

Passion

One of my fellow travellers in the Old Guys brigade, Paul Auchterlounie, hung up his playing gear at the end of 2018 to concentrate on umpiring. I wish him all the best – and he’ll be excellent – but that is kind of melancholy, too.

Paul was with the club before I arrived, and has always played with absolute passion to do his best. At times, in those early years, he could become extremely frustrated by his own flaws – and I fully understood that!

*Paul Auchterlounie looking on the bright side of life*

But he also approached baseball as a sport, something which should be fun. What’s more, I’ve seen him make some amazing plays in the outfield. He reached the AA playoffs as a Hawks catcher.

And when he joined the Raptors in recent years to act as a mentoring catcher to young pitchers, he in fact ended up as one of our most reliable and effective starters on the mound!

The club will miss him on the field but will, I’m sure, see him often in his new role.

The loss of a veteran makes it feel more real that, at some point, you have to move on. That nagging concern was exacerbated this year by the confusion surrounding the organisation of the game nationally.

If every moment on the diamond is increasingly precious, you don’t want to lose opportunities because of forfeits, or scheduling mistakes.

Washout

The set-up of the leagues in 2018 meant chances of post-season play for the Raptors were exceptionally slim. And during most of the summer, teams had little idea of what the results or standings were. The “race for the post-season” was a blindfolded race.

It is perhaps a fitting metaphor that attempts to stage the Single-A final have so far failed, and the teams which made it through the confusion have not had the chance to play. It’s nobody’s fault, as such, since the weather has intervened repeatedly. But I can’t help but think that a damp squib season has had an appropriate conclusion with a washout.

British baseball has a tremendous opportunity in 2019 to spread the word about the game and attract more players, particularly young players. MLB has finally followed American football’s NFL, and basketball’s NBA, in playing regular season games in London. The choice of the Red Sox and Yankees shows that this is a serious attempt to break the market.

We need to capitalise on this moment. To do that, we will all need to do better.

*Waiting for the dust to settle… (pic: Liam McAvoy)*

One incident from 2018 hopefully ties together my old man melancholy with a more positive note.

On the opening day of the season, one of our new winter recruits Liam Roberts – a promising speedster with a love of baseball, and lots to contribute to the club – played his first league game.

He led off with a walk. Then went to steal second base.

But a freak accident on the slide left him with a broken arm. He had surgery in the course of the year, and is thankfully recovering, but was advised not to try baseball again.

It brings home how lucky I have been to get to play this game for so many years. Every moment is an upside.

I’m here fretting to you all about how much longer I can steal bases, and make dazzling plays at shortstop, when I should perhaps be focussing only on those high points I have already experienced.

The off-season will give me a chance to mull all that over. Whilst oiling the glove, cleaning the cleats, and buying my London Series tickets.

And dreaming of great things. Because no matter what the body can or can’t do, it doesn’t stop me dreaming.

—————–

POSTSCRIPT: It is only fair to add that the delayed Single-A final has now taken place. It was hosted at a sun-drenched Grovehill Ballpark, and the Long Eaton Storm and the London Musketeers played out a tremendous game.

Storm won 16-14, but I am going to take a positive message from it for all clubs.

Let’s see this as a parting of those clouds which I complained about above. Let’s see this sunshine as a good omen of what’s to come in 2019.

I have written elsewhere on these pages about how the last act of the drama is the one which leaves the most powerful imprint. And this was definitely a good final act. Forward together.

9 September 201810 September 2018 by Rob Jones

Falcons fall at the last; Mets take NBL title

There had been a sprinkling of fairy dust on the Herts Falcons’ postseason run. But there wasn’t quite enough magic to overcome the London Mets in the final at Farnham Park.

This was to be a best-of-three series, with the defending champion Mets looking to lock up a repeat title.

Herts started their manager Cris Hiche on the mound on Saturday’s Game 1. He was credited with the win in both of the Falcons playoff victories the previous weekend, beating the Southampton Mustangs and the London Capitals.

This was to be a tough game right from the off. The London Mets’ bats were hot early, driving in 4 runs in the first and 6 runs in the second.

Rich Minford, the starter for London, was in dominant form and Herts just couldn’t solve him. The defending champions were able to pile on, and prevent the Falcons from scoring.

Late in the game, Cris Hiche blooded some of the young talent the club is developing. One of them, Alex Deacon, provided the defensive highlight of the day with a running catch at second base, and a sharp turn of a double play.

Herts were able to load the bases late on, with relief pitcher Aaron Witter among those getting on. Young Giuseppe Basilea hit a hard ground ball. But the Mets were equal to it, and got out of the inning.

It ended 16-1.

In Game 2 on Sunday, Herts hoped to use the Mets aggressive batting against them. Veteran Wade Lynch started on the mound, using an array of off-speed pitches.

It worked well in the early exchanges, London getting two runners on but failing to score. For Herts, Conner Brown got aboard with a single but couldn’t advance.

It was scoreless after one. The Mets weren’t held for long, though. They made good contact and found holes to score 6 in the second inning. They would keep adding throughout the ballgame.

Mets starter Michael Hoyes was able to hold the Falcons to just the one hit through three innings. But Herts were finally able to break through in the fourth.

Walter Bates led off with a single, and stole second. He was moved to third with a single by Conner Brown – who had come in to pitch in relief — and then brought home on a ground-out by Hiche. But a caught stealing and another ground-out meant the threat was blunted, and the Mets still led 10-1.

Again, the young talent shone. Tyler Badenhorst got the best Herts hit of the day, a booming double into left field which bounced over the fence off the warning track in the fifth.

Shortstop Carlos Casal Jr had made a smart and brilliantly executed play in the top of the fifth to save a run. Fielding a sharply hit ground ball with a runner trying to score from third, he threw home for Phil Clark to apply the tag.

But despite these highlight moments, the Falcons couldn’t put enough together to keep the game alive. A strikeout with two runners on ended the fifth, and gave the Mets an 11-1 victory by the mercy rule.

The Falcons offered their congratulations to London. Manager Cris Hiche said: “it was a tough weekend but all the credit goes to a very good Mets squad.”

He added: “They outplayed us in all aspects of the game and we didn’t come out sharp enough. This is a start of a process for the Falcons and we’ll be back stronger next year!”.

With such great improvement through 2018, and a crop of young talent which can only get better, that certainly seems a real prospect.

21 August 201822 August 2018 by Rob Jones

Hawks’ wings clipped by Latin Boys

The Herts Hawks travelled to face the East London Latin Boys on Sunday (19^th August) to fight for a place in the national final of British baseball’s Double-A league.

The fixture renewed a rivalry which had brought some tight and dramatic games over the past two years. In 2018, the Hawks were the only team to beat the Latin Boys, who had won their division and claimed the number 2 seed for the playoffs.

Veteran pitcher Darrin Ward was on the mound again, after his complete game win over Bournemouth last week. That game ended 10-9 to the Hawks thanks to a ninth-inning rally and a walk-off. Things would be different this time.

Ward surrendered an early 1-0 lead, but pitched well to keep it tight until the middle of the fourth inning. Then a Herts fielding error proved costly, and Latin Boys jumped out to a 4-0 lead.

The home side’s starting pitcher Jeffrey Aguilar was dominating the Herts lineup. Only Ward and second baseman Jon Lewys were able to get notable hits.

Latin Boys had another big inning and took a 10-1 lead into the seventh. There was to be no dramatic comeback from Herts this time and it ended 11-1.

Hawks manager Michael Cresswell tipped his hat to the home side, saying they deserved their place in the final. Herts had gone one better than last year, and will return to action in the Spring with their eyes on a title.

In their team statement, the Hawks said that while the result was not what they wanted, there were still smiles all around. “Sometimes it’s just not our day, but we still love the game of baseball.”

*Hunter Devine and Jon Lewys (all photos: Jamie Lang)*

Latin Boys face Bristol Badgers in the Double-A final at Farnham Park near Slough, the home of British baseball, next Sunday (26^th August)

The Herts Raptors had finished their season in Single-A, but played one more game this past weekend against the Guildford Millers. It was a fixture which was rained off early in the year, but it had been impossible to reschedule it.

Raptors jumped out to a big 20-run lead after 3 innings, and were within a squeak of a mercy rule victory after 5. They led by 14 runs. But Guildford kept plugging away and fighting back.

Home runs from Herts veteran Arnie Longboy and rookie David Grindstaff had powered the offense, and after seven innings they still led by 9. However, it would end with the impressively Single-A score of 36-35. And Guildford were the winners.

It was a fun finale to the year.

The Herts Falcons have one more regular season game to play, a make-up game against the London Mets at Finsbury Park. Then they, too, hope to be heading to playoffs.

The exact permutations for the NBL have not been decided yet, but follow hertsbaseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and we will keep you updated.

12 August 201812 August 2018 by Rob Jones

Last gasp drama brings playoff win for Hawks

The Herts Hawks built an early 5-1 lead in their playoff game at home to the Bournemouth Bears on Sunday (August 12th) – but the ultimate victory was anything but routine.

This was the Hawks’ second year in the Double-A league after storming to the Single-A title in 2016. Bournemouth were new boys to the league, and had never faced Herts.

*Ward pitching, with Cresswell waiting in the wings*

Darrin Ward was on the pitching mound on a cloudy and cool day at Grovehill, which was interrupted by showers. He went along steadily for five innings as the Hawks scored 5 runs to back him up.

But Bournemouth’s starter was also showing his mettle, and in the fifth the visitors battled back to get their bats going too. They pushed across some runs, and took advantage of a brief mental lapse from the Hawks to score again. It was now 5-4.

Herts responded with a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the sixth, and centre fielder Kimi Saionji led off the bottom half with a double to left field. Right fielder Hunter Devine followed him onto the bases, and then manager Michael Cresswell.

But, frustratingly, they would leave them loaded. Bournemouth induced two pop-outs and a K from the meat of the order.

And in the top of the seventh, with two outs, the Bears finally tied the game at 5-apiece.

The Hawks’ defence had been playing smartly, always retiring the lead runner, and making good throws. Greg Bochan was a rock at third, Louis Hare at short. But Herts had to score to get back on the front foot.

In the bottom of the eighth, Saionji again got it started with a single. Then Devine drove a triple deep into the right field corner to bring him home and retake the lead. He came across to score on a pass ball.

Jon Lewys tried to tack on one more, racing from second on a drive to right by Ward. But the Bears were quick enough and accurate enough and cut him down at the plate.

So Herts were defending a 7-5 lead going into the ninth. A chance to close it out. Bournemouth’s first hit boomed to the fence in left field. Another runner got on. Herts got one out.

Then things threatened to really turn sour. Bournemouth found the gaps. Herts fielders bobbled the ball. The Bears sniffed an opening and not only levelled but took the lead, 9-7. What is more, Herts catcher Bryn Coughlan hurt his knee as he scrambled to catch a foul pop-up.

There was a delay while medical help was sought, and he was helped from the field. When it was over, Herts faced the challenge of saving the game.

Greg Bochan led off with a single. Then substitute Antony Lavender – who had been called suddenly into action – made an immediate mark with a double to right field.

Kimi Saionji brought home the first of the runners, then Devine struck again.

The game was tied. Saionji was on third.

At the plate stood first baseman, Michael Cresswell, first year manager of the Hawks. He wasn’t going to pass up this moment.

Cresswell slapped a pitch down the third base line, and — leaping onto the plate to score– Saionji ended the game. It was 10-9 to the Hawks.

Bournemouth Bears had been superb, and battled hard. They played with a smile and a cheer and graciously checked in on the injured Herts catcher.

But the day belonged to Herts. Ward took the complete game win, Cresswell the walkoff. But the entire team had contributed.

The Hawks travel to face the East London Latin Boys next, and will take heart from being the only team to beat them in the regular season.

7 August 20187 August 2018 by Rob Jones

Former Marlins man makes his mark in Herts

A lot of quality baseball players have shown off their skills in a Herts cap over the years. But we still felt lucky to be able to welcome former AA pitcher Chris Squires to the club during this past weekend to share his knowledge with our players of all ages.

Chris was drafted by the Miami Marlins (then the Florida Marlins, of course) in 2010 after a college career at Indiana University which saw him finish as the Hoosiers’ all time saves leader with 20. In his final campaign, he notched up 10.71 strikeouts per 9 innings.

With the Marlins organisation, Chris pitched as a reliever in A, Advanced A and AA. He had an ERA of 3.73, and struck out more than 100 batters before moving on to play in Independent Leagues, and now plays in Europe.

His first event with Herts was at the club’s field in north west London, where we have been running weekly sessions this summer. On Friday evening, he ran through drills to improve our players’ throwing, fielding and hitting.

The core message was clear: “You have to practice a lot. Practice as much as you think you need to, then do some more.”

Chris added: “I am really picky about the detail. Think about what you are trying to achieve with every drill that you do, what are you trying to improve. Focus on that.”

On Saturday, there was a full day of work for Chris Squires at Grovehill, firstly with some of our youngest players. Around 20 boys and girls from not only Herts but also the London Mets, London Sports and the Leicester Blue Sox took part.

After a warm-up, there was throwing. Chris emphasised a strong core, and fast arm speed. In crucial fielding drills, there was attention on a good fielding position, and also on attacking a ground ball.

“Major leaguers still work on all their fundamentals”, he told our youngsters. “Sure, they find it easier because they have already put in the years, but they still have to work on all their basics.”

He happily fielded an endless series of questions from both the kids and from their parents. These ranged from technical aspects of how to achieve more power, to whether or not he is married, and whether he got a signing bonus when he was drafted.

In this session — and in another with our Under 15s and Under 17s later in the day — there were plenty of questions about his time in the minor leagues.

US baseball players are drafted by Major League organisations either from their High Schools or from College. Then they play in the club’s range of Minor League teams to work on their skills and develop as athletes.

These leagues are ranked from A, through Advanced A, to AA and AAA (pronounced as Double-A and Triple-A) before moving on to the Big League Club if they make it all the way.

Chris pitched for teams including the Jupiter Hammerheads, the Jamestown Jammers and the Jacksonville Suns.

Did he face guys who are now top stars, came a question? Yes, he pitched to Cristian Yelich in what’s called “live batting practice”, but not Marcell Ozuna (Gold Glovers and All-Stars who also came up with the Marlins).

What was his favourite stadium to play in? At the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, in the Florida panhandle, where the ocean is just beyond the outfield fence (“I was in the bullpen”, he explained, where the relievers wait to be needed. “So we spent a lot of time looking at the ocean!”)

Did you ever get injured? “Not playing baseball. Punching a water cooler. My coach was NOT happy!”

“It didn’t last as long as I’d have liked, but it happens”, Chris said of his time in an MLB setup. “You have to find your next opportunity”

Over lunch, there was a little Home Run Derby action in which our professional pitcher (“Yeah, I’ve hit a few grand slams”) took on Walter Bates, a slugger from our own Herts Falcons, and veteran Darrin Ward, currently doing his thing with the Herts Hawks in Double-A.

As the kids filled the outfield to catch and collect balls, our three power hitters put on a display. After three hotly contested rounds, Walter Bates came out the winner, and can say that he beat a former Minor League player in a hitting contest (whisper it quietly that our guy is a lefty, aiming at a short fence in right field).

*Walter Bates, happy to have won the Home Run Derby*

Chris Squires was back into it with a youth group in the afternoon, featuring Herts kids as well as those from Brighton and the London Mets. “We are going to step it up a bit now”, he warned them, “because as you get older you start to work more on your strength. It gets more intense but you have to push on through.”

But he also warned against just focussing on power: “As a pitcher, don’t throw to the radar gun. You are pitching to get the batter out.”

Chris went through pitcher’s fielding practice with this group, before taking some one-on-one sessions on Sunday at Grovehill.

He returns now to his day job — at the Dornbirn Indians baseball team in Austria. There he is a player and coach, and a coordinator and coach for the youth programmes.

The Herts Falcons manager, Cris Hiche, spent a season at Dornbirn in 2016, and was instrumental in getting our guest coach along for this very successful weekend. Our thanks to him for all his work.

The final word goes to Chris Squires, in answer to a question from one of our kids about why he chose to play baseball.

“Baseball is a sport where you are not just improving for yourself, everything you do helps the team. If you improve as a defender, that helps every pitcher you play with. If you improve as a hitter, that helps all your fielders. It’s not just about you.”

“And I have always loved baseball.”

That’s all good with us.

3 July 2018 by Rob Jones

Hot hitting: Big homers lead to big wins

The Herts Falcons claimed a big scalp in the National Baseball League (NBL) with a stunning victory over the powerful London Mets at home at Grovehill (on Sunday 1st July). It was another perfect sunny day for baseball, and the team got into a groove quickly.

Zack Longboy pitched a gem, backed by a home run from GB catcher Conner Brown, to give the home side a narrow 10-9 lead entering the final inning. Far from crumbling under pressure, the Falcons piled on. Both Phil Clark and Will Zucker — fresh from claiming a national baseball title with his university side — drove in runs.

*Falcons’ Cris Hiche at bat (file photo)*

The coup de grace was a grand slam homer from manager Cris Hiche. That sealed the deal and ended the game to give Herts a 21-11 win.

Game 2 of the double header saw London take revenge. Zucker started on the mound, but the Mets scored 11 in the first inning on their way to a 20-1 win. Herts’ only hits both came from NBL rookie Tom Carson.

Over on Grovehill’s other diamond, the Herts Hawks went down 10-2 in the first half of their double-header at home to Sidewinders in the Double-A league. One big inning undid the Hawks, and despite excellent relief pitching from Aaron Witter the bats could not make a dent on the visitors’ lead.

Herts also fell behind early in Game 2. But this time they rallied back dramatically. There were hits from Hunter Devine, and Gilberto Medina.

The Hawks’ manager Michael Cresswell put an exclamation mark on the comeback by hitting his first ever home run in the top of the seventh. It capped an 11-9 win.

*A home run trot for the first time for Michael Cresswell*

In the Single-A league, the Herts Raptors stayed close to the pace-setting London Musketeers for 2 innings. Smart pitching from Paul Auchterlounie and a double play turned by second baseman James Emblow helped.

But the visitors’ bats came alive in the third, and tacked on in the fourth. As a hot day at Grovehill drew towards an end, London had the game by the scruff of the neck.

Another strong relief appearance by Giuseppe Basilea slowed the scoring, and Simon Radford – returning from injury — got his debut hit for Herts. But it wasn’t enough to prevent a 24-5 defeat for the Raptors. They travel to Richmond this weekend, looking to get back to winning ways.

*Giuseppe Basilea at bat for the Raptors*

18 June 201818 June 2018 by Rob Jones

Father-son duets do the double for Herts

At times, it looked as if the Herts Raptors would struggle to get a team together for Sunday’s trip to the Tonbridge Bobcats, as Father’s Day stripped away a few regulars from the line-up.

In the end, the 9 players they got together played one of their best all-around games of the season to secure a win. New father and son recruits were central to it, but more of them later.

We will start at the top of the first, when rookie Harvey Blenkarne led off with a hit to centre field. He advanced around the bases to score, as did manager Matt Jackson.

Raptors loaded the bases, but some miscommunication about an infield fly ended the threat. Tonbridge struck back with two runs of their own, but in the second innings Herts were able to cash in more of their base-runners.

Doubles from Jackson and from Rob Jones helped bring in 5 runs this time, with the Bobcats getting only 1 in reply.

Herts veteran Arnie Longboy was on the mound for this one, and worked steadily in and around the strike zone. Andrew Sharp for Tonbridge picked up more strikeouts, but Longboy and his catcher, Ken Pike, kept the Bobcats swinging, and the defense backed them up.

Edward Liu, switched to first base for this game, was a rock, while Matt Jackson made excellent plays in a rare appearance at third base.

Shortstop Rob Jones – whose career highlight is probably a sliding infield catch at Tonbridge – made a sliding infield catch which was almost a carbon copy. He was able to dash in for a dying quail which had just enough to get past the pitcher, but not enough to reach anyone else.

Raptors led 10-4 after four innings. Solid, but far from decisive in Single-A. Whereas in the past, the team has sometimes lost a bit of focus at times like these, they stepped it up this time.

That father-son duo we mentioned earlier was Brian and Josh Morgan. Brian (senior) slipped smoothly into a job at second base, and got a hit every time he came up.

Josh (the younger) took time to warm up against the pitching. But when Herts needed the production to seal the game he hit a superb double to the outfield. He capped that with a steal of home, a cloud of dust as his exclamation point.

Herts scored 11 in the top of the fifth, with James Emblow contributing a double, a single and a run. It put a mercy rule win within sight. Tonbridge got runners on, and scored 2 as they loaded the bases.

But they ran out of outs. Matt Jackson made the final play from third to cap off a 21-6 victory and move his side to 5-2 on the season.

Back at Grovehill, the Herts Hawks were hosting the Norwich Iceni, last year’s unbeaten champions in Single-A. Norwich had won the first encounter between the teams in Double-A this year, a rain soaked affair which went to extra innings.

The Hawks bats helped them jump out to an early lead, and pitcher Darrin Ward held the visitors to just one hit in the first two innings. Norwich did manage to rally.

But the Hawks showed their power to surge ahead. Ward and Andy Cornish both hit doubles, while there was a triple for Gilberto Medina. 10 runs in the fourth inning put Herts in control, with a 17-4 lead.

Manager Mike Cresswell got on base every time he came up while Drew Mayhew – playing his first Herts game for two and a half years, hit a double.

The Hawks celebrated a 20-5 mercy rule win and they are now 8-2 on the year.

At this game, the father-son combo was Louis Hare, who played a great game as ever, and Geoff, one of the country’s leading umpires. It seems you can play baseball and celebrate Father’s Day at the same time.

11 June 2018 by Rob Jones

Happy Hawks hang on, Falcons bounce back

The Herts Hawks travelled to the riverside venue of Richmond to take on the London Marauders in the AA-division (don’t ask why). They were looking to build on last week’s wins and cement their position as a force in the AA-division this year.

Game 1 started out as a pitching duel and it was scoreless through three innings. London took a one-run lead in the fourth, then the Hawks struck back with hits from catcher, Bryn Coughlan, and Darrin Ward to lead 2-1.

It stayed that way until the final inning, when shortstop Gilberto Medina hit a triple to drive in three runs. Pitcher Leigh Coke held the Marauders to just one in reply to finish off his complete game, and secure a 5-2 win.

The second game was tight too, but more high-scoring. Ward also pitched a complete game for Herts and they won 14-13, surviving more final inning drama by stranding what would have been the tying run on second base.

Defense was key to their success, with an amazing diving catch in the outfield by Anthony Lavender, and several fine plays at shortstop by Medina.

In the NBL, the Herts Falcons were in Birmingham to face the newcomers to the league, the Bandits. Their day was dogged by some personnel troubles, but they battled through.

Wade Lynch was hit in the face during batting practice, but had to soldier on and play. (He would later need stitches). Starting pitcher Rob Ackerman did not arrive until near game time so the Falcons started off with reliever Walter Bates on the mound.

The two teams exchanged runs in the early going, with the Bandits 4-3 up after two innings. Ackerman then came in and was able to close down the Birmingham bats.

Meanwhile, up and down the lineup, Herts were hitting well and they won comfortably, 18-5. Carlos Casal Jr made his 2018 debut for the team after a transfer was completed during the week.

The second half of the double-header was a closer affair. The roster went down to 9, meaning Lynch had to stay on and Ackerman tried to squeeze some more innings out of his arm.

Manager Cris Hiche again pitched well as a reliever, and another burst of runs from the Herts bats helped the cause. It was 7-2 after three innings, but the Bandits chipped away, closing the gap to 7-6 before Herts put it to bed with 4 runs in the top of the seventh.

The Falcons secured the victory, 11-7. Alex Deacon got his first NBL hit, and Hiche was proud of how his team had battled throughout a tiring day.

In Single-A, the Herts Raptors got a walkover win against the Old Timers, who couldn’t get enough players to Grovehill for a full team. The two sides still played a game with the people they had got, and won that too — and everyone had a good time in the Hemel Hempstead sunshine!

That meant that Herts won five out of five games, the second time this year the club has secured a full sweep on a Sunday.

5 June 2018 by Rob Jones

Catching heat: “who’s the sweaty guy in the mask?”

Playing catcher on a hot day is perhaps the greatest weight loss programme yet to be discovered, writes Rob Jones.

Well, it’s yet to be featured by the Sunday supplements as a craze to go alongside eating pureed kale while sniffing bath salts. It’s yet to be promoted as a miracle by the Daily Mail, then debunked a week later.

*Rare archive of Rob Jones catching, in 2014*

But of course, everyone in the baseball community knows that the hottest place to be when the sun is glaring down is in the mask and armour of the catcher. Perhaps some of my larger-framed colleagues — as catchers are often on the solid side — opted for the position precisely because of its healthy side-effects.

As for me? Since I am made from a handful of sticks tied together, I don’t really get that benefit. But I found my five innings of work at Guildford Millers on Sunday quite hot enough, thanks. My jersey has the tide marks to prove it.

I perversely like the position, even if my 45 year old legs don’t. It keeps you involved on every single pitch of the game. You can’t get much better than that when you show up for one of the handful of baseball games you get to play each summer.

And as a former cricketer and football goalkeeper, I understand both the need for good blocking, and the technique for it. After seeing one too many volunteers who liked the macho aspects of catching but then hopped up and blocked everything with their shin pads, I started volunteering.

I’d never been an obvious catcher (see previous comparison involving sticks). And I have never had a cannon for an arm. But to be honest, most lower level catchers don’t either. So I figured my good elements outweighed my bad!

If you want to try out as a catcher, Guildford is a good place. Their temporary backstop is pretty close to the plate, and is springy enough that wild pitches and pass balls bounce back to you. That really helps take off the pressure which you get elsewhere – such as Grovehill — where a runner can score from third quite handily on every errant play as the ball goes to the fence.

Naturally, Paul and I were a pretty flawless combination on Sunday, so that issue never came up! (ahem) One runner did have a go at it when a ball in the dirt caromed away, but I had time to fetch it back and tag him out.

*Conner Brown of Herts and GB, an actual expert catcher*

Catching is one of the jobs on the diamond which is quite different between Single-A and the top levels, whereas many others are actually quite comparable.

The pitcher for example — if he’s sharp, he’s dominant. Same for MLB and A-league. The shortstop. A close play on a grounder is close at both levels, it’s just that everyone at A-league will have moved a bit slower!

Whereas the Single-A catcher, lacking that cannon arm, can do little to control the running game. That’s a vital job for the Major League guys, but down in our basement level everyone knows that the runner is going to steal and you probably can’t stop him.

Similarly, top guys are calling the pitch sequences artfully. Yes, we do that in Single-A, but unless the pitcher has a full repertoire of reliable pitches that’s far less important. You just want it in the strike zone!

Similarly, the level of scouting reports and expertise on each batter is far less. You can spot well enough who are the really big hitters, but any batter can surprise you at this level.

Honestly, I do think we did a decent job as a battery at Guildford. The Raptors pitchers this year and in recent memory are more accurate than we have sometimes had in the past. So we are able to take our thinking to the next level.

I should of course add that I caught only five innings, with one of our new recruits Harvey taking over for the final three innings. Younger, stronger, better legs!

It was his first appearance as a catcher, though he has clearly been studying. Harvey did a really solid job, including calling pitches, and has good fundamentals to develop his blocking.

He had to learn the hard way on both conceding an interference call, and on giving up a run with an un unnecessary throw when there were runners on first and third. But the hard way is the best way to learn, and when you’re being told a thousand things, those ones will sink in the quickest.

Physically, I feel that I survived this one fairly well. The legs do ache, but not in the way they sometimes have on a Monday when I can barely move.

On Monday, my left thumb felt bruised. On Tuesday, it is tingly and numb. Although I fared much better than usual by borrowing Paul’s broken-in catching mitt, I still banged my thumb three times when taking a pitch.

Actually, the catching fraternity out there might be able to help me with this.

I have a terrible habit of receiving the ball and banging my thumb in a direction it doesn’t want to go. It really bloody hurts, and takes days to clear.

Are there any great tips on how to avoid this? Tricks? Things to “visualise”? If any of you say, “visualise yourself being a less bad catcher”, I might sulk.

I might not. I might be so overwhelmed with relief that we finally got to play baseball after weeks of interruptions, that I won’t care.

It’s been disappointing to have two games forfeited to us, as wins mean little to us if we don’t get the chance to play to earn them! The game at Guildford was the closest of the three we have managed in 2018. Here’s hoping for another close one next time, with us coming out on top. And my thumb feeling much healthier.

4 June 201818 June 2018 by Rob Jones

Too hot to handle: Raptors baked by Millers

Going into the top of the ninth inning at Guildford, the Herts Raptors needed seven runs to save the game. It had been a hot, long day in the sunshine, and a tight game, but the Millers had suddenly taken a commanding lead in the eighth.

Herts heads had perhaps dropped a little, as the team’s pitching faltered in the late innings, they felt aggrieved about some strike calls, and the offense was unable to push across runs.

But — led by manager Matt Jackson — the Raptors gave it everything and nearly pulled it off. Jackson walked, stole second, stole third, then scored on Arnie Longboy’s single. With two outs and two strikes, Darren Priest singled to keep it alive.

In the end, needing seven, Herts scored six and had to endure a 24-23 defeat.

The early exchanges had been tight, and unusually low-scoring for a Single-A game. Raptors’ starting pitcher Paul Auchterlounie limited Guildford to just two hits and four runs in the first three innings.

Herts loaded the bases twice, thanks largely to walks, but couldn’t get the key hits against pitches which looked inviting — but which were frustratingly easy to pop up. The Millers led 6-3 after four.

And then in the fifth, the Raptors finally solved the pitching. Catcher Rob Jones led off with a strong single, John Kjorstad and Giuseppe Basilea both stroked doubles. The visitors batted around, scoring five runs to take back the lead.

Jones made the final out thanks to a spectacular diving catch by Guildford’s centre fielder Christian Schmidt, who should be in the queue for some postseason awards.

Harvey Blenkarne on base; he made his catching debut

There was plenty of good fielding on show in this game, between two sides who seemed evenly matched. Guildford’s Miles Buckton made a dramatic leaping grab at second base to take away a hit in the eighth.

For Herts, Paul Auchterlounie had flashed his leather in the seventh to retire a runner, while Longboy at shortstop made several good, tough plays.

The Raptors piled on again in the sixth but then Guildford got their own bats going. When Giuseppe Basilea came on to pitch in relief, he struggled to make his strike zone match with the umpire’s.

Nobody is ever going to agree about every call, but frustration started to show with Herts as they felt this one slipping away. John Kjorstad, a multi-talented veteran with many skills, but not normally a pitcher, came in to try to simply lob in some strikes. But even that didn’t work.

Priest, coming off the bench after injury to pitch, finally ended it, but Guildford now led 24-17. Their young relief pitchers had also had struggles with control, but the last of them – Tom Sullivan – is a recent GB call-up and they were offering more of a challenge when in the zone.

So Herts had to get it together for a last stand. After Jackson and Longboy scored, Auchterlounie — who ended the day with 3 hits — drove one to the fence to bring in a fistful of runs, and it seemed the Raptors could do this.

But it ended with one last groundout. The Millers deserved their hard-fought win. The Raptors will feel disappointed that it slipped away, but there were lots of positives to take home.

Paul Auchterlounie should be happy with his day

Herts now move to 3-2 on the season, and will hope that Old Timers can fulfil their fixture this coming week. If they do, it will be the first time in 2018 that the team has managed to play games on two Sundays in a row.