The heavy rain over Hertfordshire last night has flooded both diamonds at Grovehill Ballpark and the eagerly awaited NBL clash between the Herts Falcons and the London Mets has been postponed. The Herts Hawks’ game with the Brentwood Stags has also been cancelled, which means no games in Herts this Sunday.
The games will have to be played later in the year and we will keep you updated about the news dates for these games.
Herts Baseball Club has confirmed the signing of Emmanuel “Mani” Santillan.
The 25-year-old shortstop and outfielder comes from the Dominican Republic – the country which has produced baseball legends like pitcher, Pedro Martinez, Albert Pujols, Sammy Sosa, and hundreds of other legendary MLB players.
He has registered in time and is eligible for Sunday’s league games.
The Herts Falcons (12-4) are in the middle of a 6-week period during which they face their direct opponents in the race for the National Baseball League title. They won 3 of their last 4 games against the Harlow Nationals (13-4) and the Southampton Mustangs (12-5) last Sunday.
In both of these series their opponents came to Grovehill Ballpark as the team with the best defence (fewest runs allowed per game) in the league while the Falcons were the team with the best offence (most runs scored per game). Something had to give and it did. The Falcons bats drove in 24 runs putting a major dent in the Nationals runs allowed per game which stood at 4.30 before that weekend and they were no longer the best defence after that. Next up came the Mustangs. They had overtaken the Nationals as the team with the best defence but once again the Herts offence was too hot to handle scoring 27 runs in that doubleheader.
We have the same scenario this coming Sunday. The London Mets (10-3) come to Grovehill Ballpark having surged up the standings to within 1 game of the league leaders Harlow. They are now officially the team with the best defence with an impressive 4.46 runs allowed per game. Will defence prevail on this occasion or will the Falcons bats strike again for the third week in a row?
The London Mets are the only team yet to face the Herts Falcons this season and it promises to be a colossal duel. The two teams did meet in the Herts Spring League in March and the Falcons still have the bruises to prove it as Mets starting pitcher Pietro Sollecito shut the Herts offence down with a 7-0 win in that game. This Sunday the Falcons will be eager to prove that this was just a spring training glitch. First pitch is at 12pm.
24 HOURS EARLIER
In fact the London vs Herts rivalry gets going 24 hours earlier with a London vs Herts doubleheader in the British U17 League. London are the reigning national champions at U17 level and they have a clear lead in the standings so far this season with a record of 10-2. However they come into the games after a loss to the Cobham Cougars just to prove that they are human after all.
There are more youth league games at Grovehill Ballpark on Saturday. LYBL come to town to face the Herts U14 team in a repeat of last year’s National Final. Many of the Herts players from last year have moved into the U17 age group so this is a chance for the new generation of U14 players to carry the Herts flag. In the U11 bracket the Dodgers and the Giants series resume. They are tied 1-1.
RAPTORS AND HAWKS WITH POSTSEASON AMBITIONS
The Herts Raptors travel to Tonbridge on Sunday looking to build further momentum after their 14-5 win against the Eagles last week. The Herts Hawks return after 3 weeks of rest. They host the Brentwood Stags in a AA-League doubleheader in what is proving to be a very close race for the postseason playoffs.
written by Trevor Clissold for britishbaseball.org
The top four teams in the BBF’s National Baseball League are separated by just one game following sweeps for Herts, Harlow and London. Herts took the spoils in their top-of-the-table clash with the Southampton Mustangs and the lead at the top changed hands for the third time in three weeks.
Having earned a hard-fought split in their series with the defending champion Harlow Nationals on June 10, the Herts Falcons could have been forgiven for wanting an easier encounter than hosting the NBL-leading Southampton Mustangs the very next week. But following their sweep of the Mustangs, Herts will be elated at coming through with a 3-1 record against two of their biggest rivals in the standings.
Sam Dempster, Head Coach for the Great Britain National Team, was in the crowd on Sunday and everyone was keen to impress. And the visiting Mustangs got off to a fast start in Game 1 with some help from the Herts defense, who showed some early nerves.
Robbie Unsell was given the start on the mound for Herts and looked dominant initially, striking out the lead-off batter and getting ahead 0-2 against Alberto Rodriguez. But then things started to go wrong for Unsell as he threw four consecutive balls to walk Rodriguez before a wild pickoff attempt allowed him to progress to second base. Rodriguez then stole third before scoring on a ground-out by Victor Aizpurua to give the Mustangs an early 1-0 lead. This quickly became 2-0 on a home run from the very next batter, as Gary Davison lifted a 1-2 pitch over the left field fence. Despite issuing another walk to Marius Urbanavicius, who also stole second, Unsell managed to get out of the inning without any further damage.
Herts knew they would have to respond early and took full advantage of some wayward pitching by Mustangs starter Gary Davison. Robbie Unsell was hit by the very first pitch and reached third on a line drive double from Cristobal Hiche. Unsell would score on a sacrifice fly by Ryan Bird to halve the deficit, and then a series of errors from Southampton allowed Hiche, David Tretheway and Darrin Ward to follow Unsell across the plate as the Falcons began to take charge.
Herts added two more runs in the second inning to take a 6-2 lead and threatened to run away with the game.
But the Mustangs then showed why they were leading the NBL coming into this series. Justin Frosina started the comeback with a solo shot over the right field fence in the top of the third inning and Southampton tied the game at 6-6 an inning later.
Herts reacted by adding three runs of their own in the bottom of the fourth and moved five runs clear with two more in the fifth, but the scoring was far from over as the Mustangs came back again, scoring twice in the top of the sixth to keep the pressure on their hosts.
Despite this, it was Southampton who cracked, as the Falcons’ bats came to life in a big way with seven runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to force a mercy-rule victory. Herts had already scored three times when David Tretheway hit a two-run home run, leaving Robbie Unsell to deal the decisive blow with a two-RBI single to finish a breathtaking encounter.
“The final score did not tell the full story,” reflected Falcons Team Manager Lee Manning. “They’re a top team and the game was in the balance right up to the last inning.”
Ryan Bird (3-for-4, 4 RBIs) and David Tretheway (4-for-4, 1 HR, 4 RBIs) both starred with the bat while Robbie Unsell picked up the win along with three RBIs of his own.
Click to view box scores and play-by-ply from Game 1
Game 2 was a much tighter affair, as both sides settled down on defense to back up some solid pitching.
Just as in Game 1, it was Southampton who took an early 2-0 lead with runs in the first and second innings. Alberto Rodriguez took the mound for the Mustangs in Game 2 and was strong early on, holding the Falcons scoreless and allowing just three hits through the first three innings.
But mirroring Game 1 again, the Falcons’ bats came to life in the second half of the game and they lit up Rodriguez for nine runs on nine hits over the next two frames.
Darrin Ward allowed just four hits over the last five innings as he shut the Mustangs down to pick up the win and seal the sweep for Herts. Ward pitched a complete game, allowing two earned runs on seven hits and also went 4-for-4 with the bat to round out an excellent day. Ryan Bird also went 4-for-4 while Jeff House knocked in three runs on two hits.
Southampton Team Manager Ross Arieta was left to reflect on what might have been for the Mustangs. “Obviously, we are disappointed with our performance today,” he said. “Herts are a good team and we gave them too many outs to not be punished today.”
There will be no rest for Southampton though, as they look to return to the summit. “We play Harlow next week,” Arieta added, ”and we are looking forward to making amends for today.”
Herts Manager Lee Manning said, “They were the leaders coming into this game and we knew we needed two wins to overtake them. It was important for the standings to win both games today but it was also important for our momentum; it feels good to be back to winning ways. We have London next and it’s a really exciting time for the whole club. We feel better equipped this year to deal with the top teams, we recruited well both domestically and internationally, and there’s a sense of pride building throughout the club at AAA, AA and Single-A levels.”
While the Herts Falcons and the Harlow Nationals locked horns and shared the spoils in the biggest game of the season so far, the Southampton Mustangs took full advantage with two wins against the Essex Arrows. They now stand on top of the NBL. The Nationals are one game back while the Falcons are one and a half games behind.
This means that for the Herts Falcons the next game becomes even bigger than last Sunday’s showdown as Southampton makes the trip to Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead this Sunday, 17 June. Two wins for Herts in this upcoming doubleheader would put them above the league leaders in the standings.
The two teams met on the south coast on the second weekend of the season. Southampton won game one 7-5 while the Falcons won game two 7-3. Since then the Mustangs have been the best team in Great Britain winning 11 out of their 12 games. This incredible run wasn’t given the publicity it deserved. Although they have reached the playoffs in the last two seasons, they have not been ranked as one of the favourites to win the NBL championship. They sit on top of the league and are now seen by many to be a genuine title-contender.
This Sunday Southampton’s probable starters are Gary Davison and Alberto Rodriguez. For the Falcons it is impossible to even guess who is likely to start on the mound. Manager, Lee Manning kept the Nationals guessing revealing his starting pitchers just seconds before first pitch and once again he chose a starting rotation completely different from previous games. 2011 NBL Best Pitcher Robbie Unsell started game one and Darrin Ward started game two.
The Mustangs have the NBL homerun leader Marius Urbanavicius who already has 3 home runs this season. The Falcons added two new players to the list of home run hitters as Mike Osborn and Cris Hiche went deep against the Nationals. Herts now have 6 players with home runs – Bird (2), Clark (1), Hiche (1), Niedringhaus (1), Osborn (1), Tretheway (1) – which is the highest among all NBL teams, tied with the London Mets who also have 6 players with home runs to their name this year.
AND THEN THERE WERE 4…OR 6 EVEN
While Harlow, Herts and Southampton trade blows at the top, the London Mets have been quietly catching up and they are now just two games behind the leaders. Essex and Lakenheath may be a few games further behind but they are still very much involved in the title race. This makes it 6 teams with genuine title hopes making it one of the most exciting seasons in recent years.
But without any doubt all eyes will be on Grovehill Ballpark this Sunday, 17 June, for the Falcons vs Mustangs clash. First pitch 12:00pm.
One of the many talking points after Sunday’s biggest game of the NBL season so far was the altercation after the 3-run home run by Edwin Alcantara which tied the game in the bottom of the sixth inning.
For a few minutes while the game was stopped fans were in the dark about what had sparked this confrontation. Even when different versions of events started circling around Grovehill Ballpark some fans were still fidning it difficult to understand the precise reasons.
Baseballgb.co.uk writer and Project COBB founder, Joe Gray, who was at the game reported on the incident in an article which enhances the post-match analysis so hertsbaseball.com was keen to post a link to the article (Click to view).
The Falcons vs Nationals showdown was billed as “the biggest game of the season so far”. There is absolutely no risk that the Advertising Standards Authority will be cautioning hertsbaseball.com for overhyping Sunday’s NBL doubleheader as it most definitely lived up to the billing.
The game was in doubt right up until 2 hours before first pitch due to a waterlogged Grovehill Ballpark, but once it was given the go-ahead fans started streaming down to Grovehill Ballpark, some fans coming from as far as Oxford.
Among the many who came was the GB senior national team manager, Sam Dempster, who had the opportunity to assess several possible candidates for the GB Team which has a big year ahead including the European Championships and qualification for the 2013 World Baseball Classic.
The Falcons started game one with 2011 NBL Best Pitcher, Robbie Unsell, who got out of a bases loaded jam in the top of the first without allowing any runs. But the Nationals were at it again taking a 3-0 lead in the second inning on a home run by Jarrod Pretorius. Their pitcher Roberto Almanzar was very effective in the first few innings not allowing any hits. The Herts batters eventually got into their usual rhythm which has devastated NBL opponents all season long. They tied the game 5-5 in the fourth inning and took a 9-5 lead going into the sixth. Jeff House was now on the mound for Herts and he had to come up against a Nationals lineup looking determined not to lose this game. They responded with a home run by Luis Goncalves which flew over the right field foul pole. Most of the Herts fans seated on the first base side thought that it was a foul ball, but umpires Hare and Dollin were unanimous in their decision confirming that it was a home run. Harlow followed that with a 3-run home run by Edwin Alcantara to tie the game 9-9 in dramatic fashion. Tensions were running high as Falcons players felt that Alcantara’s reaction as he trotted around the bases was disrespectful towards Herts. For a moment it seemed like the incident would end up in a bench-clearing brawl but both teams soon focused back on the game.
Into the top of the seventh inning the Nationals continued their relentless offence bringing 4 runs in. That 4-run lead was too much for Herts to claw back and the visitors recorded a dramatic come-from-behind win.
Darrin Ward started game two for the Falcons in his first game since his move back to Herts from the Essex Arrows. He was in commanding form changing speed and locating his pitches very effectively. By the third inning Herts had a 13-1 lead after bombarding the Nationals with hits including home runs for Ryan Bird, Cris Hiche and Mike Osborn. Into the 5th inning and with the score 13-3 the Nationals managed to avoid the mercy-rule coming into effect scoring 2 runs.
With the scoreboard operating staff having to attend an emergency, the lack of scoreboard updates gave the Nationals the impression that Herts had written them off and that they consider the game to be won. That seemed to spur the Nationals on. And they mounted a strong come back, but at the end the Falcons stayed in control and won the second game 15-10.
An exciting afternoon of baseball which had everything and the fans certainly enjoyed it. The scores mean that the NBL race is very finely poised with the promise of more encounters like this one to come between now and the postseason playoffs.
This Sunday, 10 June, Grovehill Ballpark will stage the biggest game of the season so far. The reigning NBL champions, Harlow Nationals, will clash with the Herts Falcons who have been grabbing the headlines this year more than any other team in the country.
The Falcons were on top of the standings a week ago but a loss at home against the Essex Arrows allowed both the Harlow Nationals and the Southampton Mustangs to overtake them. Herts now stand just half a game back.
Sunday’s clash between the Nationals and the Falcons has been eagerly anticipated. It is the first opportunity to see whether the revamped Herts Falcons can overcome the champions. Both teams are well equipped offensively and defensively. The Nats have last year’s league MVP, Edwin Alcantara, and slugger, Maikel Azcuy, both with 1 home run in their name this season. The Falcons have their own firepower with Dave Tretheway, Kevin Niedringhaus, Phil Clark and Ryan Bird already opening their home run accounts for the year and there are several more members of the team who are itching to get off the mark.
Grovehill Ballpark is one of the most hitter-friendly ballparks in the league and fans will be expecting to see a home run or two this Sunday. However, both teams have strong pitchers who may have other ideas. The Nationals have relied largely on Jamie Ratcliff, Brendan Cunliffe and Roberto Almanzar on the mound and so far they have allowed the lowest number of runs per game in the league (4.30 runs per game). The Falcons have used no fewer than 6 pitchers already and they have the luxury of another 5 pitchers who they can call on, including Darrin Ward who completed his transfer from the Essex Arrows last week.
Who will be the starting pitchers for Herts in these series? Falcons Manager, Lee Manning, has kept the rest of the league on their toes with a different starting rotation every week of the season so far and it will be interesting to see what he will have up his sleeve against the Harlow Nationals.
Defensively Herts have performed much worse compared to Harlow allowing 6.73 runs per game, but it is their batting which has made them one of the frontrunners this year. So far they have obliterated their opponents scoring 10.17 runs per game, which is the highest average in the NBL.
With this match-up so finely-balanced and with so much at stake in the title race, this Sunday’s clash is a mouth-watering prospect for fans of British baseball who can make it to Grovehill Ballpark. The game starts at 12:00pm. Admission is free.
Herts Baseball Club announced that pitcher, Darrin Ward, has just completed a transfer back to the Herts Falcons. Ward has been wearing the Herts uniform since 2008, but before the start of the 2012 season he made a surprising move to NBL rivals, the Essex Arrows.
His return is a major boost for Herts who find themselves half a game back on the reigning champion Harlow Nationals.
During his 4 years with Herts, Darrin Ward was voted Herts MVP 3 times (2008, 2009 and 2010 with the Herts Eagles), Best Pitcher twice (2009 and 2011), 3-time Batting Champion (2009, 2010, 2011). Ward is a former Great Britain National Team player. His NBL career stretches all the way back to 1992 when he played for the London Warriors. He spent 8 seasons with them (1992-1999) winning the NBL in 1992, 1993 and 1997. His return to Herts means that he is now reunited with his old London Warriors teammate Michael Osborn for the first time since the 1990s. Osborn moved to Herts at the start of the season and he was looking forward to playing with Ward again. He was disappointed when he learned of Darrin Ward’s move to Essex earlier this year, but today’s announcement means that they will be playing side-by-side again.
Darrin Ward’s career batting average in the NBL is an impressive .378, slugging average .602, with 16 home runs and 130 RBIs. As a pitcher his record is 14-17. He has made only 11 errors in 211 NBL innings prior to 2012. (stats courtesy of Project COBB)
Herts Falcons Manager, Lee Manning, was grateful to Essex for their co-operation. “I would like to thank the Essex Arrows in the manner they have handled this transfer” said Manning. The transfer was completed in time for Ward to be eligible for selection for this Sunday’s NBL game at Grovehill Ballpark against the Bracknell Blazers (11:00am) and exhibition game with the GB U19 National Team (4:00pm).
The clash between rivals Herts Falcons and Essex Arrows illustrated just how competitive the NBL is this season and that every team is capable of winning the title. Herts’ superior 8-2 record before today didn’t seem to concern the Essex Arrows whose 6-6 record does not do them justice on today’s showing.
Jordan Farkas missed the games against Croydon a week ago, but he was back as the starting pitcher for Herts in the first game of the doubleheader. He allowed only 2 earned runs striking out 5 over 6 innings. 2-run home runs by both Kevin Niedringhaus and Dave Tretheway spurred the Falcons on putting 5 runs in the second and fifth innings. A single by Ryan Bird in the sixth inning brought another 2 runs in to give the home team some more breathing space. Robbie Unsell relieved Farkas in the final inning to secure a 12-7 win. Unsell is also coming alive offensively. He went 3-4 with two doubles, an RBI, 3 runs and 3 stolen bases.
Click to view game1 box scores and play-by-play
In game 2 Essex jumped to an early 4-0 lead after 2 errors and 3 hits in the top of the first inning. Three innings later the Arrows had an even bigger lead of 10-2. A solo home run by Ryan Bird in the bottom of the fourth was the wakeup call which the Falcons needed. They followed that up with 2 runs in each of the fifth, sixth and seventh inning. That burst by the Falcons included 2 singles by Dave House and two doubles by Cristobal Hiche. When Ryan Bird stepped up for his fourth at bat of the game he was looking for a triple to complete the cycle. He did produce another hit but it was a single. This late surge by Herts closed the gap but the league-leaders ran out of time. Essex won it 13-9. This loss means that the reigning champions, Harlow Nationals, overtake Herts at the top of the standings after they swept Bracknell.
Click to view game2 box scores and play-by-play
5 GAMES AT GROVEHILL NEXT SUNDAY, JUNE 3
With the Nationals resting next weekend, the Falcons will have a chance to go joint-top if they can win their next game against Bracknell which will be played at Grovehill Ballpark and will be part of an exciting day of baseball in Hertfordshire. Both Bracknell and Herts will each play an additional exhibition game against the Great Britain U19 National Team later that day, while on the other diamond the Herts Hawks will clash against the Essex RedBacks in a AA League matchup between the second and third-placed teams. Here is the full order of play:
11:00, Herts Falcons @ Bracknell Blazers (NBL)
12:00, Essex RedBacks II @ Herts Hawks (AA League)
13:30, GB U19 National Team @ Bracknell Blazers (exhibition game)
14:30, Essex RedBacks II @ Herts Hawks (AA League)
16:00, Herts Falcons @ GB U19 National Team (exhibition game)
Venue: Grovehill Ballpark, Herts (click for address and directions). Admission is free.