Category: Falcons

by AspiDimitrov

HERTS FALCONS 12 ESSEX ARROWS 11

  

Herts Falcons at Essex Arrows
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Herts Falcons 1 8 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 12 18 6
Essex Arrows 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 11 11 2

Herts Falcons12, Essex Arrows 11
Herts Falcons Essex Arrows
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
GONCALVES Luis ss 5 1 1 0 SONGWON Jeon rf 5 2 2 1
CASAL Carlos 2b 5 1 2 2 SHAER David 1b 4 2 4 2
GREENBERG Jason dh-c 3 3 2 0 CHESTERTON Richard p-cf 5 2 2 3
CORNISH Andy c 3 1 2 1 LOUW Lance 3b 5 0 0 0
(b4) GOETZ Nic p-3b 2 0 1 0 GILBERT Matt cf-p 4 1 0 1
CULLEN Marty 1b 5 1 2 1 FOLEY Luke ss 4 1 3 1
SAIONJI Kimiyoshi lf 4 2 2 1 FLORENCE Brandon lf 3 1 0 0
KIKEL Peter 3b-p 5 2 4 3 (t6) MERTZ Matt lf 2 0 0 0
MUNN Jamie cf 4 0 1 0 CHRISTOFOROU Chris c 2 2 0 0
MARTINEZ Marc rf 5 1 1 0 CLARK Andrew 2b 5 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 41 12 18 8 TEAM TOTALS 39 11 11 8

 

E: CASAL Carlos, GREENBERG Jason, KIKEL Peter, MARTINEZ Marc, SAIONJI Kimiyoshi,
GOETZ Nic, CHESTERTON Richard(2). DP: Herts ALL 1. LOB: Herts ALL 7, Essex Arrows 11.
2B: CORNISH Andy, CHESTERTON Richard. HR: KIKEL Peter(2), SAIONJI Kimiyoshi,
CHESTERTON Richard. SB: MARTINEZ Marc, GREENBERG Jason, GONCALVES Luis, SONGWON Jeon,
FOLEY Luke, CHRISTOFOROU Chris. SF: SONGWON Jeon.

Herts Falcons IP H R ER BB SO
GOETZ Nic W 7.00 6 6 3 2 4
KIKEL Peter 2.00 5 5 4 3 3
Essex Arrows            
GILBERT Matt 7.33 11 3 1 0 7
CHESTERTON Richard L 1.67 7 9 4 5 0

HBP: by GOETZ Nic (FOLEY Luke). . . . , by GOETZ Nic (CHRISTOFOROU Chris), by GOETZ
Nic (SHAER David). . , by KIKEL Peter (GILBERT Matt). . WP: KIKEL Peter. PB:
CHRISTOFOROU Chris(4). Balk: GOETZ Nic. T: 3:12. A: 196.
Herts ALL – Top of the 1st:
GONCALVES Luis grounded out.
CASAL Carlos flied out.
GREENBERG Jason walked, advanced to 2nd on passed ball, batted forward to home.
CORNISH Andy doubled, advanced to 3rd on passed ball, 1 RBI.
CULLEN Marty grounded out.
1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Essex Arrows – Bottom of the 1st:
SONGWON Jeon singled, batted forward to 3rd.
SHAER David walked, forced out at 2nd.
CHESTERTON Richard hit into double play.
LOUW Lance popped out.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Herts ALL – Top of the 2nd:
SAIONJI Kimiyoshi hit solo home run, 1 RBI.
KIKEL Peter hit solo home run, 1 RBI.
MUNN Jamie walked, picked off.
MARTINEZ Marc singled, stole 2nd, advanced to 3rd on passed ball, batted forward to
home.
GONCALVES Luis walked, stole 2nd, batted forward to home.
CASAL Carlos singled, picked off, 2 RBI.
GREENBERG Jason walked, batted forward to home.
CORNISH Andy singled, batted forward to 3rd, advanced to home on passed ball.
CULLEN Marty singled, batted forward to 2nd, advanced to 3rd on passed ball, batted
forward to home, 1 RBI.
SAIONJI Kimiyoshi walked, advanced to 2nd on passed ball, batted forward to 3rd,
awarded home.
KIKEL Peter singled, picked off, 1 RBI.
8 runs, 7 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Essex Arrows – Bottom of the 2nd:
GILBERT Matt reached on error, advanced to home on error.
FOLEY Luke hit by pitch, advanced to 3rd on error, batted forward to home.
FLORENCE Brandon reached on error, advanced to 2nd on error, batted forward to 3rd,
advanced to home on balk.
CHRISTOFOROU Chris walked, advanced to 2nd on balk, batted forward to home.
CLARK Andrew struck out swinging.
SONGWON Jeon sacrifice flied, 1 RBI.
SHAER David singled, batted forward to home, 1 RBI.
CHESTERTON Richard hit 2-run home run, 2 RBI.
LOUW Lance flied out.
6 runs, 2 hits, 2 errors, 0 LOB.
Herts ALL – Top of the 3rd:
MUNN Jamie struck out looking.
MARTINEZ Marc grounded out.
GONCALVES Luis singled.
CASAL Carlos grounded out.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Essex Arrows – Bottom of the 3rd:
GILBERT Matt flied out.
FOLEY Luke singled, advanced to 2nd on error.
FLORENCE Brandon flied out.
CHRISTOFOROU Chris popped out.
0 runs, 1 hit, 1 error, 1 LOB.
Herts ALL – Top of the 4th:
GREENBERG Jason popped out.
CORNISH Andy grounded out.
CULLEN Marty singled, advanced to 3rd on error.
SAIONJI Kimiyoshi flied out.
0 runs, 1 hit, 1 error, 1 LOB.
Essex Arrows – Bottom of the 4th:
CLARK Andrew flied out.
SONGWON Jeon struck out swinging.
SHAER David singled.
CHESTERTON Richard struck out swinging.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Herts ALL – Top of the 5th:
KIKEL Peter hit solo home run, 1 RBI.
MUNN Jamie struck out swinging.
MARTINEZ Marc struck out looking.
GONCALVES Luis grounded out.
1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Essex Arrows – Bottom of the 5th:
LOUW Lance struck out swinging.
GILBERT Matt grounded out.
FOLEY Luke singled, stole 2nd.
FLORENCE Brandon popped out.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Herts ALL – Top of the 6th:
CASAL Carlos flied out.
GREENBERG Jason singled, stole 2nd.
GOETZ Nic called out by illegally batted ball.
CULLEN Marty flied out.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Essex Arrows – Bottom of the 6th:
CHRISTOFOROU Chris hit by pitch, forced out at 2nd.
CLARK Andrew reached on fielder's choice, batted forward to 2nd.
SONGWON Jeon grounded out.
SHAER David hit by pitch.
CHESTERTON Richard popped out.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Herts ALL – Top of the 7th:
SAIONJI Kimiyoshi grounded out.
KIKEL Peter lined out.
MUNN Jamie struck out swinging.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Essex Arrows – Bottom of the 7th:
LOUW Lance flied out.
GILBERT Matt flied out.
FOLEY Luke reached on error, forced out at 2nd.
MERTZ Matt reached on fielder's choice.
0 runs, 0 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB.
Herts ALL – Top of the 8th:
MARTINEZ Marc struck out.
GONCALVES Luis popped out.
CASAL Carlos singled, batted forward to 3rd, advanced to home on error.
GREENBERG Jason singled, batted forward to 2nd, advanced to 3rd on error, awarded
home.
GOETZ Nic singled, picked off.
2 runs, 3 hits, 1 error, 0 LOB.
Essex Arrows – Bottom of the 8th:
CHRISTOFOROU Chris walked, advanced to 2nd on error, batted forward to 3rd, stole
home.
CLARK Andrew struck out looking.
SONGWON Jeon singled, stole 2nd, batted forward to home.
SHAER David singled, batted forward to 2nd, advanced to 3rd on wild pitch, batted
forward to home, 1 RBI.
CHESTERTON Richard walked, advanced to 2nd on wild pitch, batted forward to home.
LOUW Lance walked, batted forward to 3rd, forced out at home.
GILBERT Matt hit by pitch, batted forward to 3rd, 1 RBI.
FOLEY Luke singled, batted forward to 2nd, 1 RBI.
MERTZ Matt struck out looking.
CHRISTOFOROU Chris reached on fielder's choice.
4 runs, 3 hits, 1 error, 3 LOB.
Herts ALL – Top of the 9th:
CULLEN Marty struck out.
SAIONJI Kimiyoshi singled, batted forward to 3rd.
KIKEL Peter singled, batted forward to 2nd.
MUNN Jamie singled.
MARTINEZ Marc struck out looking.
GONCALVES Luis flied out.
0 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 3 LOB.

Essex Arrows – Bottom of the 9th:
CLARK Andrew reached on error, forced out at 2nd.
SONGWON Jeon reached on fielder's choice, batted forward to home.
SHAER David singled, tagged out going to 2nd.
CHESTERTON Richard doubled, 1 RBI.
LOUW Lance struck out swinging.
1 run, 2 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB.
by AspiDimitrov

ONE VENUE, 14 TEAMS AND 10 HOURS OF NON-STOP BASEBALL

 

This year, British Baseball is introducing several special events as part of the league schedule, and the first of these, the NBL Summer Classic, will take place this Saturday, June 5.

All eight teams from Britain’s top league will come to the same venue and each team will play one nine-inning game. Since these games are part of the league schedule, the outcomes could have a crucial effect on the race for the post-season.

The event will be held at Grovehill Ballpark, the home of the Herts Falcons in Hemel Hempstead. The venue has undergone major building work in the last two years, and last month the club unveiled its brand new second diamond. As a result, Herts is now able to stage these large national events.

With this event taking place on a Saturday, it is rare opportunity for AAA, AA and Single-A league teams to make the trip to Herts for a day packed with top-quality baseball.

STARS OF THE FUTURE LEADING OFF

The day will begin at 10.00 am with youth league games involving the six Herts Little League teams.

Combining youth and adult league games as part of the same event is unusual in British Baseball, but it is expected to be an effective way to bring baseball communities together, increase attendances and make events more vibrant and enjoyable.

Bracknell (9-1) v Croydon (4-6) on Diamond One at 12:00

The NBL action starts at noon as the 2009 Champions Bracknell Blazers take on the Croydon Pirates. Bracknell goes into the game with an impressive nine-game winning streak. The resurgent Croydon Pirates split their doubleheader with the Herts Falcons last Sunday, which puts them in fourth place in the standings. Can they cause an upset against the Blazers?

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Maikel Azcuy (Croydon) leads the league in home runs after his grand slam on Sunday at Herts, his fifth home run of the season.

Brendan Cunliffe (Bracknell) has been an RBI-machine for the Blazers so far this year. He hits for average (BA .500) and for power (3HR and Slugging .929). He leads the league in RBIs (13).

 

 

Essex (0-10) v Herts (3-7) on Diamond Two at 13:45

Neighbours Essex Arrows and Herts Falcons will resume their long-standing rivalry on Saturday. Essex have been showing signs of revival and they will probably target their game against Herts as a perfect opportunity to record their first win of the season.

On Sunday, Herts returned home after a painful six-game road trip and ended their losing streak, coming back from a three-run deficit in the bottom of the seventh inning to win against Croydon.

Two of Herts’ key pitchers are on the disabled list and the question is whether those players who are healthy can keep the team in touch with the pack. Despite their bad starts, both teams are still in the running for playoff places, and they will be desperate to pick up a win on Saturday and put their seasons back on track.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Jeon Sungwon (Essex) is tied for the lead for most base hits (15) so far this season in the NBL.

Luis Goncalves (Herts), a 16-year-old shortstop, has been phenomenal with both bat and glove in his second season in the NBL.

Southampton (4-8) v Mildenhall (4-6) on Diamond One at 15:30

Despite finding themselves second from bottom in the standings, the Southampton Mustangs have quietly been producing some very impressive performances against the top teams in the league. Saturday’s game against the Mildenhall Bulldogs is the first of five upcoming games which they will see as must-win to put them right back in the race for the post-season.

After winning their opening four games, Mildenhall have suffered six losses in a row. Can they turn their season around against Southampton? They will go into the game with confidence, in the knowledge that just a few weeks ago they came out on top against the Mustangs on the same field in the final week of the Herts Spring League.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Charles Truelson (Southampton) may not have a 90 mph fastball but he more than compensates for that with control and movement. He has picked up two of the four wins for the Mustangs so far this year with an ERA of 5.40.

Jon Mabie (Mildenhall) is one of the toughest catchers in the league and a perfect example for young players of what it means to give 100% on every play. He has a batting average of .389 with 5 RBIs.

London (11-1) v Richmond (7-3) on Diamond Two at 17:00

This is undoubtedly the game of the day. The first-placed London Mets are bringing back memories of their championship-winning seasons in 2007 and 2008. However, after a slow start, the Richmond Flames are back to their best and on Saturday we will find out if they can stop the Mets.

This is billed as the main event of the NBL Summer Classic this Saturday and the other games have been scheduled to finish in time for all those attending to gather around the brand new diamond at Herts for this unmissable clash.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Jason Roberts (London) leads the league in wins (5) and strikeouts (38).

Ryan Bird (Richmond) is the 2008 and 2009 MVP.

SCHEDULE: SATURDAY, JUNE 5

10:00 – Herts Little League games: Yankees @ Cubs, Red Sox @ Cardinals, Tornadoes @ Crocs (Diamond 2).

11:30 – Herts Little League games: Red Sox @ Yankees, Cubs @ Cardinals, Crocs @ Tornadoes (Diamond 2).

12:00 – NBL: Croydon Pirates @ Bracknell Blazers (Diamond 1).

13:45 – NBL: Herts Falcons @ Essex Arrows (Diamond 2).

15:30 – NBL: Mildenhall Bulldogs @ Southampton Mustangs (Diamond 1).

17:00 – NBL: Richmond Flames @ London Mets (Diamond 2).

VENUE

Grovehill Ballpark is located at Washington Avenue, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire HP2 6NH.

For a map and directions, click here.

For more details please contact Herts Baseball Club via the official website.

Photos by:

— event-photos.co.uk

— www.hp2photographic.com

 

by AspiDimitrov

CROYDON AND HERTS SPLIT IN NBL WEEK 7 ACTION

(this report by Simon Fitzjohn first appeared on www.britishbaseball.com)

 

The improving Croydon Pirates and the Herts Falcons split the only doubleheader played in the National Baseball League on Sunday, May 30, a make-up from the previous weekend.

Meanwhile, the rest of the league took a Bank Holiday breather.

Special NBL reporter Simon Fitzjohn provides the details.

 

Croydon Pirates @ Herts Falcons

This battle produced a pair of thrillers, with home runs, stunning comebacks and even a pitching duel for the fans to savour.

In Game One, the contest was tied 3-3 heading into the sixth inning, only for Mikael Azcuy to smash a grand slam for the Pirates to open up a 7-3 lead.

But the Falcons clawed back a run in the bottom of the frame before scoring four runs in the bottom of the seventh for an amazing 8-7 triumph.

Luis Goncalves took the win, while Tim Ssala was dealt the tough-luck loss.

If Game One was an offensive delight, Game Two was the exact opposite, as pitchers Jose Sosa for the Pirates and Nick Goetz for the Falcons went at it.

With plenty of mound magic, Tim Ssala’s RBI single proved decisive in a 1-0 Pirates win.

Herts’ Aspi Dimitrov said: “It was a real boost for the club to win Game One, as it was a great comeback. We have had a tough few weeks on the road recently so it was good to get home.

“Both of us are in the bottom half of the table,” Dimitrov continued, “and they were two tough games. We could have won both, but we could also have lost both so we have to take the positives.”

by AspiDimitrov

BBC AUDIO SLIDESHOW: “SWINGING AWAY”

The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) at Lord's and the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, have collaborated to produce a groundbreaking new exhibition on the connections between baseball and cricket that is now open to the public at Lord’s Cricket Ground.

The MCC Museum at Lord's is trying to dispel a few myths, and reveal some surprising connections, in a new exhibition that looks at the shared history of cricket and baseball.

The BBC have published an interesting audio slideshow taking a trip back in time looking at the games of baseball and cricket. (Click to view)

by AspiDimitrov

HISTORIC WEEKEND FOR HERTS BASEBALL

This weekend will see history made at Grovehill ballpark in Hemel Hempstead, as the new second field hosts its first games. The Herts club has existed since 1996 but now, for the first time, it will have two specially constructed baseball diamonds. Only a handful of British clubs can boast such excellent facilities. This will allow two of the club’s four adult teams to play simultaneously, and allow as many as six Little League games to take place at once. That will mean Herts can host even more major events, such as the end of season National League playoffs.

The first action on the new diamond will be when the Little League players start their season this Saturday, May 22nd. The competition involves 6 teams of kids playing 16 games each, culminating in the League Finals held at Grovehill on 7th August. The Yankees are the reigning champions from the last two years – can anyone else take their crown this year? The top performers from the Little League will then be chosen to play for the Herts All Stars at the British National Championships. Last season, the Herts team finished as runners-up after a memorable, heart-wrenching 1-0 ballgame against the London Mets. Boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 14 can join the club at any time, and they could the star of this year’s campaign.

 

The adults will get their turn on the new turf on Sunday. The Herts Hawks will be the men in the history books, christening the field with a game against the Sidewinders of north London. Later in the day, the Herts Raptors will take on the Tonbridge Bobcats. This moment in history has been made possible by the generous support of many organisations — the sport’s governing body, BSUK; Awards for All; Sport England; Dacorum Borough Council and Dacorum Sports Network – as well as the Royal Bank of Scotland and our valuable sponsor, BMW Scotthall Watford. The players themselves have also put in enormous amounts of hard work.

 

by AspiDimitrov

BREAKTHROUGH FOR HERTS TEAMS

The Herts Hawks notched up their first win of the season on Sunday when they travelled to play the Croydon Pirates III. The visitors trailed 7-2 at one point but staged an astonishing comeback to claim a 12-9 victory. Team Manager Greg Bochan pitched a complete game and got the win. In the second half of their double-header the Hawks were victims of a comeback by the Pirates. They led by two runs going into the final inning but went down 15-14.

The Herts Eagles – who play in the AAA Division — also claimed their first wins of the season, sweeping the Essex Redbacks in a double-header. Essex are new to the league this year but the Herts team took no mercy on them — veteran Darrin Ward was credited with the win in an opening 12-10 victory; Louis Hare claimed the W as the Eagles then extended their dominance with a 19-9 win.

The club’s rookie team, the Herts Raptors, continue to improve and to discover more talent in their ranks, although once again they fell short of a win against Guildford. Bryan Drummond pitched four solid innings before being substituted for first-time hurler Phil Gover. Raptors’ manager Ken Pike called the southpaw’s performance “pretty stunning”, and he was also pleased with his side’s improved hitting. Once the players got used to a bumpy infield and a strong wind, they were every bit a match for their hosts. Raptors went down 23-10 but Pike is increasingly optimistic about the future.

The news was not so good for the Herts Falcons of the elite National League. Their early-season struggles continued when they took on the Bracknell Blazers, the reigning national champions. In the first inning of the first game Herts gave up 11 runs, making the task all but impossible. The rest of the game was tight, but Falcons lost 13-2. In the second half of the match-up, 16 year old phenom Luis Goncalves pitched a brilliant game, keeping the Blazers off balance. But after four innings, fielding errors crept in and cost the team dear. This time Bracknell ran out 17-7 victors. Manager, Jason Greenberg, admitted it was disappointing day, but many players were away or injured and the Falcons hope to bounce back quickly and show the League what they can really do.

by AspiDimitrov

HERTS TEAMS SUFFER STRING OF LOSSES

It was another tough weekend for the Herts baseball club. The Falcons travelled to take on the Richmond Flames in the National League, and suffered a pair of defeats. They went down 8-0 in the first game. Starting pitcher Dan Kerry — fresh from scaring BBC presenters with his fastball — struggled with his control, and walked four hitters in a four-run first inning from which the team never recovered. The Falcons' own bats were held in check with only three hits in the game. The second half of the double-header brought no relief. Richmond built an ever-expanding lead, helped by 5 Herts fielding errors, and wrapped it up 14-0. Luis Goncalves got his second hit of the day, but there were few bright spots for the Herts hitters. The Falcons' Aspi Dimitrov admitted “We were not quite right, and we have to accept that.”

Elsewhere in the National League, the London Mets and the Bracknell Blazers started to open a lead at the top of the standings. Mets cruised to a sweep of the Croydon Pirates, while Bracknell put an end to Mildenhall's unbeaten start to the season, again with two wins. The Falcons record is now 2-4, and they are bubbling in mid-table.

Lee Manning's Herts Eagles were relieved to finally play their first games of the season, but they were disappointed by the results. They lost two tight games to the Bracknell Inferno, 6-3 and 14-12. In the second game, they staged a dramatic rally but it was ended by a controversial umpiring decision. The Eagles also suffered a setback in losing speedster Iwan Evans to injury — the club medical team hope he will make a swift recovery.

The Herts Raptors racked up their best run total so far, scoring 11 against the London Marauders — but  it wasn't enough. They were undone by one bad innings — in which they surrendered nine runs — and went down 23-11. The Raptors manager, Ken Pike, was full of praise for his players, calling it their best performance yet. Bobby Gould got three hits and stole five bases, Sam Pooley followed up his bright debut with 2 RBIs', and Simon Elkington impressed on his debut at first base. Manager Pike himself managed to flash the leather a couple of times, and lead by example.

The Hawks didn't even get chance to pull on their uniforms. Their double-header against Horsham had to be called off because the visitors could not muster a side.

by AspiDimitrov

BBC VIEWERS GET A TASTE OF HERTS BASEBALL

The following article was first published on www.britishbaseball.org

GOOD WEEKEND FOR BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL ON THE BBC

 

It was a good May Bank Holiday weekend for British baseball and softball on BBC national radio and television.

Softball on Radio 2

It began on the Friday Fixture slot on Simon Mayo’s Drivetime on BBC Radio 2 just before 7.00 pm.

This segment features sports that don’t get as much publicity as they deserve, and in a three-minute interview with sports reporter Matt Williams, Bob Fromer, BSUK Communications Consultant and GB Softball General Manager, was able to promote co-ed slowpitch softball as a participation sport and the GB Women’s Fastpitch Team for their achievement in qualifying for this summer’s World Championships in Venezuela despite receiving no public funding.

Baseball on BBC 1

Then, on the BBC 1 Breakfast programme on Saturday morning, their resident intrepid sports reporter Mike Bushell visited Herts Baseball Club to see what was happening and have a go.

The report covered the encouraging growth in British Baseball league teams this season and the developing youth programme at Herts, and Herts player-manager and GB Baseball General Manager Jason Greenberg was able to promote the current fund-raising drive to get the GB Baseball Team to this summer’s European Championships.

Given the general reluctance of mainstream media in this country to pay much attention to minority sports, the coverage this weekend was very welcome, and the BBC should be commended for providing it.

Click here for more photos featuring the Herts Little Leaguers and Mike Bushell’s tryout with the Herts Falcons

by AspiDimitrov

METS BATTLE BACK TO SWEEP AGAINST FALCONS. BULLDOGS KEEP 100% RECORD

The follwing article by NBL Special Reporter, Simon Fitzjohn, was first published on www.britishbaseball.org

HITTERS HOLD THE UPPER HAND IN NBL WEEK TWO
Mildenhall Bulldogs are setting the pace after the second week of play in the BBF's National Baseball League, with the only unbeaten record in the division. But both London Mets and Bracknell Blazers moved over .500 after games played on Sunday, April 25. NBL Special Reporter Simon Fitzjohn provides the details:

Richmond Flames @ Mildenhall Bulldogs

The expansion Mildenhall Bulldogs maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a sweep of the Richmond Flames, who ended the 2009 campaign atop the regular standings.

But past history counts for nothing on the diamond, and the Bulldogs eased to 7-3 and 12-2 wins.

Nick Chenausky pitched the win in Game One, with Jason Coffee’s efforts in Game Two backed up by a three-run home run from Jose Perez.

Bulldogs coach Gabriel Macias said: “We are really happy with how we have started, but we still have some things to work on, especially our hitting. The key for us this season is to be taken seriously.”

“I am still not sure we are at the moment, but weekends like this will go a long way to change that,”
said Richmond coach Grant Delzoppo, who has certainly joined the early-season Mildenhall Appreciation Society.

“They have a really good squad,” Delzoppo said, “and if they keep playing like that they will be tough to beat. We only had three hits in each game and you are not going to achieve much with that.

“But we are still missing a few of our key players,” Delzoppo added, “and when we get them back shortly we should turn the corner.”

Essex Arrows @ Bracknell Blazers

The 2009 NBL Champions Bracknell Blazers got back to winning ways, dismissing the challenge of new boys Essex Arrows in a doubleheader sweep.

The 14-4 and 22-6 scorelines were evidence of a big day at the plate for both sides, but with the Blazers easily emerging triumphant in a battle of the sluggers.

Matt Maitland crushed a grand slam in Game One for Bracknell to back winning pitcher Henry Collins, before things went crazy in Game Two.

Brendan Cunliffe launched two dingers in the same inning and Michael Trask and Gordon Shepherd also homered for the Blazers, with Matt Gilbert and Richard Chesterton leaving the yard for the Arrows.

Bracknell’s Rob Rance said: “We came out a bit sloppy at the start but then closed things down. Both sides came out swinging and it was a real sight.

“Last year we started really slowly but the players seem to be taking things on board. We are putting the ball in play and making things happen and moving in the right direction.”

Herts Falcons @ London Mets

The London Mets moved up the standings as they brought Herts Falcons' unbeaten start to the season to an end with a doubleheader sweep.

Two tight games saw the London side emerge triumphant by 5-2 and 9-1 scorelines. Jason Roberts claimed the win in Game One, with Brian Anderson having an easier time on the mound in Game Two.

The Mets’ Carlos Diaz was eager to pay tribute to his side’s pitching staff for moving them to a 3-1 record.

Diaz said: “The pitchers are definitely carrying the team at the moment. We are not hitting the ball well at all but the pitching is enough to get us through. We are progressing quite nicely as a team but we still need to improve to move forward.

“These are two good wins for us,” Diaz added, “and they set us up nicely.”

Croydon Pirates @ Southampton Mustangs

The Southampton Mustangs announced their arrival on the NBL stage, picking up maiden wins with back-to-back victories over the Croydon Pirates.

Game One was a contest for the offensive enthusiast as Southampton prevailed 21-12, Gary Davison clubbing a grand slam to earn Chuck Truelson the win.

Game Two was a much tighter affair, but Lee Ralph producing a dominant pitching display as the Mustangs closed out a 5-3 verdict.

A delighted Ben Davis reckoned Southampton are just getting started.

“We are absolutely thrilled to get our first wins,” Davis said. “The first game went back and forth and it was a real bash game. But the second game was a very good defensive game from both sides and it could have gone either way.

“We have some momentum now,” Davis added, “and it is up to us to build on it and keep moving forward.”