Category: Falcons

by AspiDimitrov

FALCONS SLIDE CONTINUES, DROP TWO TO METS

Report from BBF Correspondent Simon Fitzjohn:

The London Mets kept up their relentless pace atop the NBL standings, but were made to work hard by the Herts Falcons in an entertaining doubleheader. London emerged victorious by scores of 7-2 and 4-3. Reed Wilson was the hero in game one, pitching another dominating game to frustrate the Herts hitters. Game two was much tighter though, with the Mets needing two passed balls, a stolen base and a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth to rally from a 3-2 deficit.

The Mets' Alex Pike said: “Reed pitched to perfection in the first game and I cannot ask for more than that. Game two was far closer but we still came through. Pressure means nothing to these guys and they always find a way to win. We are going to be missing quite a few of these guys in the play-offs so we need to try out a few new faces, but they are stepping up well.”

For Herts' manager Jason Greenberg it was a case of what might have been. He said: “In the first game we came up with only one hit, so no surprises in the result there. Game two we could have won and we are very disappointed. Even so I am very pleased that it was a game against the Mets that we controlled from the first inning. The day is getting closer where we beat this team and it is not considered an upset.”

More images from the Falcons' visit to the London Mets

GAME ONE

Herts Falcons at London Mets
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Herts Falcons 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 1 3
London Mets 1 0 2 0 1 3 0 7 6 2

London Mets 7, Herts Falcons 2
London Mets Herts Falcons
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Player 1 3b 3 1 0 0 Luis Goncalves ss 4 0 0 0
Player 2 ss 3 2 0 0 Kimiyoshi Saionji 2b 2 0 0 0
Player 3 lf 3 1 0 0 Lin Yuchih 3b 2 0 0 0
Player 4 c 4 1 1 4 Darrin Ward 1b 3 0 0 0
Player 5 dh 4 0 1 1 Jason Greenberg c 3 0 1 0
Player 6 1b 2 0 1 1 Dan Kerry lf 3 1 0 0
(t7) Sub 1 1b 0 0 0 0 Aspi Dimitrov rf 1 0 0 0
Player 7 cf 3 0 0 0 (t7) Carlos Casal rf 1 1 0 0
Player 8 2b 3 1 3 0 Nick Goetz p 2 0 0 0
(t7) Sub 4 2b 0 0 0 0 (t7) Lee Manning p 0 0 0 0
Player 9 rf 2 1 0 0 Jamie Munn cf 3 0 0 0
(t7) Sub 6 rf 0 0 0 0
Sub 16 p 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 27 7 6 6 TEAM TOTALS 24 2 1 0

E: Player 2, Sub 16, Lin Yuchih(2), Aspi Dimitrov. LOB: Herts Falcons 5, London Mets
7. 2B: Player 4, Player 5, Player 6, Player 8. SB: Player 2(3), Player 3, Player 1,
Carlos Casal.

London Mets IP H R ER BB SO
Sub 16 W 7.00 1 2 0 3 9
Herts Falcons            
Nick Goetz L 6.00 6 7 2 3 1

HBP: by Nick Goetz (Player 2). . . . . , by Sub 16 (Kimiyoshi Saionji), by Nick Goetz
(Player 9). . WP: Sub 16. PB: Player 4(4), Jason Greenberg. T: 1:45. A: 97.


GAME TWO

Herts ALL at Template Team
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Herts ALL 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 3 3 3
Template Team 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 4 5 3

Template Team 4, Herts ALL 3
Template Team Herts ALL
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Player 1 ss 3 1 2 1 Luis Goncalves ss 3 1 1 1
Player 2 lf-2b 3 1 1 2 Kimiyoshi Saionji rf 4 0 0 0
Player 3 3b 2 0 0 0 Lin Yuchih 1b 3 0 0 0
(b4) Sub 4 3b 1 0 0 0 Darrin Ward p 3 0 0 0
Player 4 dh 2 0 0 1 Dan Kerry cf 3 0 0 0
Player 5 cf 3 0 1 0 Lee Manning c 2 1 0 0
Player 6 c 3 0 0 0 Carlos Casal 2b 3 1 2 0
(t7) Sub 6 lf 0 0 0 0 Nick Goetz 3b 2 0 0 0
Player 7 2b 1 0 0 0 Jamie Munn rf 3 0 0 0
(b5) Sub 1 2b-c 1 0 0 0
Player 8 rf 1 1 0 0
(b5) Sub 2 rf 1 0 0 0
Player 9 1b 2 1 1 0
Sub 16 p 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 23 4 5 4 TEAM TOTALS 26 3 3 1

E: Player 1(2), Player 3, Luis Goncalves, Carlos Casal, Nick Goetz. DP: Herts ALL 2.
LOB: Template Team 2, Herts ALL 6. 2B: Player 1, Player 5. SB: Player 2, Luis
Goncalves(2), Carlos Casal, Lee Manning. SF: Player 4.

Template Team IP H R ER BB SO
Sub 16 W 7.00 3 3 0 4 5
Herts ALL            
Darrin Ward L 6.00 5 4 3 0 0

WP: Sub 16(2). PB: Player 6(3), Lee Manning(2). T: 15:15. A: 98.

by AspiDimitrov

RICHMOND BESTS HERTS, MOVES INTO 2ND PLACE

NATIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE: WEEK 13

(this article was first published on www.britishbaseball.org)

 

London Sweeps Bracknell, Continues To Dominate NBL

 

The London Mets show no signs of slowing up at the top of the standings after earning another doubleheader sweep on Sunday, brushing off the Bracknell Blazers. The Mets emerged triumphant by scores of 13-1 and 10-8, stretching their record to an impressive 14-4 as the season hots up.

 

Reed Wilson and Jonathan Cramman claimed the wins, with Callum Woods smacking a home run to lead off game one. But they had to rely on a piece of defensive brilliance to claim game two, Giovanni Escalon making a leaping catch at the wall with two outs in the seventh to rob Ryan Trask of a game-winning three-run shot.

 

The Mets’ Alex Pike said: “We put lots of pressure on them today and it told. In game one we were very aggressive in our baserunning and they couldn’t handle it. In game two we did what we had to do. A win is a win as far as we are concerned, but Giovanni made a magical play.”

 

Bracknell coach Rob Rance admitted his side had been caught out. He said: “They played some good ball today. They caught us on a day when we were missing a few players and we did not do the simple things right.”

 

 

Richmond Bests Herts, Moves Into 2nd Place

 

Richmond came out on top in a battle of the chasing pack when they swept Herts Falcons 4-3 and 20-1.

 

The Flames came out on top in a real pitcher’s duel in game one, stealing the game in the bottom of the final inning. Ryan Bird pitched the win and belted a two-run home run, Darrin Ward taking the loss.

 

But things could not have been more different in game two, with the Flames blasting 13 runs in the first inning alone en route to a lopsided win. Cody Cain, Matt Spaulding, Ryan Bird and Haydn Chin smashed home runs, with Jason Greenberg providing the solitary response with Herts’ first homer of the season.

 

Richmond’s Grant Delzoppo said: “Things went really well for us. It was a good battle between two teams chasing London Mets and it was a good pair of wins. This will give us a lot of confidence to take forward.”

 

Herts Manager Jason Greenberg was understandably disappointed with the losses, but remained resolute about his team’s accomplishments thus far. “Baseball is about momentum, and when the Flames took the walk-off win in game one they also took the wind out of our sails. It’s already forgotten. We’re ecstatic with our season thus far and we’ll fight hard to win our four remaining games.”

 

GAME 1

Herts Falcons at Richmond Flames
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Herts Falcons 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 3 3 1
Richmond Flames 0 0 0 2 0 1 1 4 10 3

Richmond Flames 4, Herts Falcons 3
Richmond Flames Herts Falcons
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Marty Visser cf 4 0 1 1 Luis Goncalves ss 4 1 1 0
Haydn Chin ss 3 0 1 0 Kimiyoshi Saionji lf 3 1 0 0
Cody Cain p-rf-1b 3 1 1 0 Lin Yuchih 2b 3 1 0 0
Ryan Bird 4 rf-p 3 2 3 2 Darrin Ward p 3 0 1 0
Grant Delzoppo c 2 0 0 0 Jason Greenberg c 3 0 0 0
Mike Osborn 2b 3 0 0 0 Lee Manning 1b 2 0 1 1
Guy Lidbetter 1b 3 0 2 0 Carlos Casal rf 3 0 0 0
(t7) Matt Spaulding rf 0 0 0 0 Nick Goetz 3b 3 0 0 0
Brett Wakeley lf 3 1 1 0 Jamie Munn cf 2 0 0 0
Yushi Saito 3b 3 0 1 0 (t7) Aspi Dimitrov cf 1 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 27 4 10 3 TEAM TOTALS 27 3 3 1
E: Player 2, Player 4, Player 9, Carlos Casal. LOB: Herts Falcons 5, Richmond Flames
6. 2B: Player 4. HR: Player 4. SB: Player 4, Lin Yuchih.
Richmond Flames IP H R ER BB SO
Cody Cain 5.33 1 0 0 2 7
Ryan Bird W 1.67 2 3 0 0 3
Herts Falcons            
Darrin Ward L 6.00 10 4 3 1 4
WP: Darrin Ward(2). T: 1:38. A: 38.

GAME 2

Herts Falcons at Richmond Flames
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Herts Falcons 0 1 0 0 0 1 6 3
Richmond Flames 13 2 3 3 0 21 18 0

Richmond Flames 21, Herts Falcons 1
Richmond Flames Herts Falcons
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Player 1 cf 3 4 2 0 Luis Goncalves ss-p 3 0 2 0
Player 2 ss 3 1 1 4 Kimiyoshi Saionji cf 2 0 1 0
Player 3 3b 4 3 2 3 Lin Yuchih dh-rf-ss 3 0 0 0
Player 4 1b 4 3 3 4 Darrin Ward 3b 2 0 0 0
(t4) Sub 1 2b 1 0 1 1 Lee Manning c 2 0 0 0
Player 5 c 4 2 3 0 Jason Greenberg 1b 2 1 1 1
Player 6 dh 4 1 1 1 Carlos Casal 2b 2 0 1 0
Player 7 2b-p 3 1 1 0 Aspi Dimitrov rf-p 2 0 0 0
Player 8 lf 2 3 2 3 Jamie Munn lf 2 0 1 0
Player 9 rf 3 3 2 4 Nick Goetz p 0 0 0 0
Sub 7 p-1b 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 31 21 18 20 TEAM TOTALS 20 1 6 1
E: Jamie Munn, Lee Manning, Nick Goetz. LOB: Herts Falcons 4, Richmond Flames 8. 2B:
Player 3, Player 9. HR: Player 3, Player 9, Player 4, Player 2, Jason Greenberg. SB:
Player 5(2), Player 1(2), Luis Goncalves, Carlos Casal.
Richmond Flames IP H R ER BB SO
Sub 7 W 3.00 4 1 1 0 3
Player 7 2.00 2 0 0 0 3
Herts Falcons            
Nick Goetz L 1.67 14 15 9 2 0
Aspi Dimitrov 1.67 3 5 5 5 0
Luis Goncalves 0.67 1 1 1 1 1
HBP: by Nick Goetz (Player 3). , by Aspi Dimitrov (Player 2). . . WP: Luis Goncalves.
PB: Lee Manning(3). T: 2:05. A: 38.

by AspiDimitrov

FALCONS AND METS PULL AWAY IN THE NBL

This article by Joe Gray first appeared on www.mister-baseball.com

The Herts Falcons and London Mets made their moves in Week 11 of national Baseball League play on 28 June, sweeping their respective double-headers to pull away at the top of the standings.

The Falcons saw off the still-winless Croydon Pirates, while the Mets brushed past the Richmond Flames.

Richmond v London
London travelled to Richmond and came away with 5-0 and 9-3 wins behind the pitching of Jason Roberts and Reed Wilson. And Mets coach Alex Pike reckons his side will be the team to beat from now on.

“We are starting to get going,” Alex said. “We have most of our players back and I honestly don’t think we will lose another game this season. Richmond swept us at the start of the season so to come here and win both games really shows we are up and running.”

For Flames coach Grant Delzoppo, who smacked a home run in Game Two, it was a disappointing afternoon.

“We made far too many errors,” Grant said “and we got punished. They pitched well and played great defence, and we couldn’t get many hits. The Mets are a great team and they were definitely better than us on the day.”

Herts v Croydon
For the Croydon Pirates, it was once again a hard-luck story, performing well but coming up short in both games at Herts’ Grovehill Ballpark, including an agonising 12-11 loss in Game Two after losing Game One 11-2.

But for Pirates coach Dave Ward, it is a case of taking the positives.

“All in all it was a pretty good day for us,” Dave said. “We are certainly getting there and we gave them a bit of a shock in the second game. We are building each week, but unfortunately it is a slow process.”

View more images from the Croydon Pirates @ Herts Falcons NBL game

GAME 1

Croydon Pirates at Herts Falcons
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Croydon Pirates 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 7 4
Herts Falcons 4 0 0 1 3 3 0 11 9 2

Herts Falcons 11, Croydon Pirates 2
Herts Falcons Croydon Pirates
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Riley Fisher 3b 3 1 0 0 Player 1 c-p 4 0 0 0
Kimiyoshi Saionji 2b 4 2 1 1 Player 2 2b 4 0 0 0
Lin Yuchih ss 5 2 5 2 Player 3 p 3 0 0 0
Darrin Ward p 3 1 1 0 (b5) Sub 10 p 0 0 0 0
Jamie Munn lf 2 0 0 1 (b6) Sub 11 1b 0 0 0 0
Aspi Dimitrov cf 2 1 1 1 Player 4 3b 3 0 1 0
Lee Manning c 3 2 1 0 Player 5 lf 3 0 0 0
Nick Goetz rf 1 1 0 1 Player 6 cf 3 1 2 0
Andy Cornish 1b 2 1 0 0 Player 7 ss 3 1 2 0
          Player 8 rf 3 0 1 2
          Player 9 1b-c 3 0 1 0
TEAM TOTALS 25 11 9 6 TEAM TOTALS 29 2 7 2

E: Kimiyoshi Saionji(2), Player 7(2), Player 3, Player 9. DP: Croydon Pirates 2. LOB:
Croydon Pirates 6, Herts Falcons 11. 2B: Lin Yuchih, Player 4. SB: Lee Manning(3),
Lin Yuchih, Nick Goetz, Andy Cornish, Player 7, Player 6. CS: Riley Fisher. SF: Jamie
Munn.

Herts Falcons IP H R ER BB SO
Darrin Ward W 7.00 7 2 2 0 4
Croydon Pirates            
Player 3 L 4.67 7 8 6 9 1
Sub 10 0.67 1 2 2 2 0
Player 1 0.67 1 1 1 2 1

HBP: by Player 3 (Darrin Ward). . . . . . . WP: Player 3(2), Sub 10, Player 1. PB:
Lee Manning(2). T: 3:00. A: 48.

GAME 2

Croydon Pirates at Herts Falcons
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Croydon Pirates 2 0 4 4 0 1 0 11 11 5
Herts Falcons 2 2 0 4 0 4 0 12 9 5

Herts Falcons 12, Croydon Pirates 11
Herts Falcons Croydon Pirates
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Lee Manning rf 3 1 0 0 Player 1 ss 4 2 1 0
Kimiyoshi Saionji 2b 4 2 2 2 Player 2 p-1b 5 0 1 1
Lin Yuchih ss 3 1 0 1 Player 3 1b-cf-p 5 2 3 0
Darrin Ward 3b 4 1 2 0 Player 4 3b 3 4 1 0
Jamie Munn lf 3 2 0 0 Player 5 2b 3 1 1 2
Aspi Dimitrov cf 3 1 0 0 Player 6 cf-p 4 1 1 1
Louis Hare 1b 3 2 2 1 Player 7 c 4 1 1 1
Riley Fisher dh 3 0 0 0 Player 8 lf 4 0 2 4
Andy Cornish c 4 2 3 2 Player 9 rf 3 0 0 0
Nick Goetz p 0 0 0 0 (b4) Sub 10 rf 1 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 30 12 9 6 TEAM TOTALS 36 11 11 9

E: Darrin Ward(2), Kimiyoshi Saionji, Lin Yuchih, Jamie Munn, Player 1(2), Player 4,
Player 5, Player 7. DP: Croydon Pirates 2. LOB: Herts Falcons 7, Croydon Pirates 7.
2B: Darrin Ward(2), Player 4, Player 2, Player 8. SB: Jamie Munn(3), Louis Hare(3),
Lee Manning(2), Aspi Dimitrov(2), Kimiyoshi Saionji(2), Andy Cornish(2), Lin Yuchih,
Player 7(2), Player 4, Player 6, Player 1.

Herts Falcons IP H R ER BB SO
Nick Goetz W 7.00 11 11 5 2 5
Croydon Pirates            
Player 2 L 3.67 6 8 3 5 3
Player 3 2.00 3 4 2 2 0
Player 6 0.33 0 0 0 0 0

HBP: by Nick Goetz (Player 5). . . . . WP: Player 2(2), Player 3(2). PB: Andy
Cornish(3), Player 7. T: 3:00. A: 67.
by AspiDimitrov

FALCONS BOUNCE BACK, BEAT BRACKNELL BLAZERS

From special Newswire correspondent Jamie Munn:


After two tough losses to the London Mets, The Herts Falcons rebounded in the best way possible, by taking two from the Bracknell Blazers at Grovehill park.
After two tough losses to the London Mets, The Herts Falcons rebounded in the best way possible, by taking two from the Bracknell Blazers at Grovehill park.

In a fiercely fought league which sees the Falcons, Mets, Blazers & Flames constantly changing places, the Falcons reminded everyone that they are not to be taken lightly.

With the reliable Darrin Ward on the mound in game one for Herts, the phrases, ‘put the ball in play’, ‘make them make the outs’, ‘good defence’ & ‘Mr Ward will do the rest’ rang true. With 3 consecutive doubles to lead of the bottom of the 3rd from Andy Cornish, Lin Yuchih & Dan Kerry, the Falcons jumped to an early advantage, the same trio produced the goods in the bottom of the fourth, after Luis singled, Andy walked advanced to second on a wild pitch with Lin and Dan delivering singles as the Falcons took a 5-1 lead.

The top of the 5th however was anything but simple as the Falcons committed several errors with two outs. Bracknell scored 4 runs with the help of singles from Mike Trask, Connor Vernon & Matt Maitland, all of sudden the Falcons were back in a contest at 5-5.

The game wasn’t tied for long though, as the Falcons put one run on the board when Jason Greenberg singled, stole 2nd, advanced to 3rd on error, advanced to home on another error which Greenberg earned with good thinking. Darrin Ward recorded a quick 1-2-3 top of the sixth before the Falcons added another run in the bottom half of the inning when Luis Goncalves walked, advanced to 2nd on an error, stole 3rd & was batted forward to home.

With the score 7-5 to the Falcons & heading into the bottom of the seventh, it was up to Herts to finish it off. The inning started with a walk to Max Flasher with Jamie Fod pinch running. Matt Maitland then bunted putting runners at the corners, until the home plate umpire called Maitland out for touching home plate with his foot when bunting. So instead of 1st & 3rd with no outs, Bracknell had Jamie Fod at 1st with 1 out. Ward then struck out Connor Vernon looking. Deme van Nickerk singled to keep the Blazers alive but Cody Shepherd popped out with Darrin Ward and the Herts Falcons taking game 1.

The Falcons Nick Goetz had no intention of Game 2 having any other outcome than game 1. Finishing with figures of 7Innings pitched, 9hits, 3strikeouts and 2earned runs, Goetz produced another quality start which was backed by the Falcons bats coming from behind.

Trailing 6-3 going into the bottom of the fourth, Aspi Dimitrov walked and with two outs, batting 3, 4 & 5, Lin Yuchih, Darrin Ward & Dan Kerry all singled to reduce the deficit to 6-5. Lin, Darrin & Dan continue to showcase their great hitting ability as they finished a combined 6 for 10 with 4 rbi’s, and 5 runs.

Goetz was able to blank the Blazers in the 5th and 6th innings on just the required 6outs but was still trailing 6-5, until the bottom of the sixth when the Falcons batted round, scoring 5 runs, 3 coming with two outs. Dan Kerry, Kimiyoshi Saionji & Lee Manning all hitting singles, with Bracknell committing costly errors.

Nick was able to close the game out without conceding any more runs as the Herts Falcons took game two 10-6 to finish the week with a 10-6 record in the NBL. Next up for the Falcons is Croydon at Grovehill Park with a sweep guaranteeing Herts a place in this years Playoffs. An outcome only the Falcons had in mind at the start of the season.

GAME ONE

Bracknell Blazers at Herts Falcons
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Bracknell Blazers 0 1 0 0 4 0 0 5 9 4
Herts Falcons 0 1 2 2 1 1 0 7 7 5

Herts Falcons 7, Bracknell Blazers 5
Herts Falcons Bracknell Blazers
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Luis Goncalves ss 3 2 1 0 Player 1 c 3 0 0 0
Andy Cornish rf 2 2 1 0 (t4) Sub 6 c 1 0 0 0
Lin Yuchih dh 3 1 2 2 Player 2 lf 3 1 0 0
Dan Kerry cf 3 0 2 3 Player 3 p-cf 4 0 2 0
Kimiyoshi Saionji 2b 3 0 0 0 Player 4 1b 3 0 1 0
Jason Greenberg c 2 2 1 0 Player 5 2b 2 1 0 0
John Oliver 1b 3 0 0 0 (t7) Sub 4 pr-2b 0 0 0 0
Nick Goetz 3b 3 0 0 0 Player 6 cf 2 1 1 0
Jamie Munn lf 2 0 0 0 (t4) Sub 1 p 2 1 1 1
Darrin Ward p 0 0 0 0 Player 7 ss 4 1 2 2
Player 8 3b 4 0 1 0
Player 9 rf 4 0 1 0
TEAM TOTALS 24 7 7 5 TEAM TOTALS 32 5 9 3

E: Luis Goncalves, Andy Cornish, Kimiyoshi Saionji, Nick Goetz, Jamie Munn, Sub 6(2),
Player 8, Sub 1. LOB: Herts Falcons 6, Bracknell Blazers 10. 2B: Andy Cornish, Dan
Kerry, Lin Yuchih. 3B: Player 6. SB: Lin Yuchih(2), Luis Goncalves(2), Jason
Greenberg(2), Player 5, Player 9. SF: Dan Kerry.

Herts Falcons IP H R ER BB SO
Darrin Ward 7.00 9 5 3 3 4
Bracknell Blazers            
Player 3 3.00 3 3 2 3 5
Sub 1 3.00 4 4 2 3 5

HBP: by Player 3 (Jason Greenberg). . . , by Darrin Ward (Player 5). . . WP: Sub 1.
PB: Player 1(2). T: 3:00. A: 0.

GAME TWO

Bracknell Blazers at Herts Falcons
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Bracknell Blazers 0 0 5 1 0 0 0 6 9 6
Herts Falcons 1 0 2 2 0 5 0 10 8 5

Herts Falcons 10, Bracknell Blazers 6
Herts Falcons Bracknell Blazers
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Luis Goncalves ss 2 2 0 0 Player 1 lf 3 0 0 0
Andy Cornish lf 4 0 0 0 Player 2 2b 5 0 0 0
Lin Yuchih 2b 3 2 1 1 Player 3 cf-ss 4 0 0 0
Darrin Ward 3b 3 2 3 2 Player 4 dh-1b 1 1 1 0
Dan Kerry cf 4 1 2 1 Player 5 1b-3b 2 1 1 0
Mike Wakelam dh 3 0 0 0 (b3) Sub 2 c 2 1 1 0
(b6) Kimiyoshi Saionji dh 1 1 1 1 Player 6 ss 1 0 0 0
Louis Hare 1b 4 0 0 0 (b1) Sub 1 pr-p 1 1 1 1
Lee Manning c 3 0 1 1 (b3) Sub 4 p 2 0 1 0
Aspi Dimitrov rf 2 2 0 0 Player 7 c-3b 3 1 3 1
Nick Goetz p 0 0 0 0 Player 8 rf 2 1 1 0
Player 9 cf-3b 3 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 29 10 8 6 TEAM TOTALS 29 6 9 2

E: Darrin Ward(2), Lin Yuchih, Luis Goncalves, Aspi Dimitrov, Player 3(2), Player 1,
Player 4, Player 5, Player 6. LOB: Herts Falcons 8, Bracknell Blazers 10. SB: Player
3, Player 4, Player 9. CS: Dan Kerry. SB: Player 9, Player 1.

Herts Falcons IP H R ER BB SO
Nick Goetz 7.00 9 6 2 4 3
Bracknell Blazers            
Sub 4 4.00 7 9 2 5 6
Sub 1 2.00 1 1 0 2 2

HBP: by Nick Goetz (Player 4). . . , by Nick Goetz (Player 4). . WP: Sub 4. PB: Sub
2(4). Balk: Nick Goetz. T: 3:00. A: 0.

by AspiDimitrov

STOP THE PRESSES: FALCONS TAKE FIRST


Photo Credit and Article from Joe Grey of BaseballGB
(amended by Newswire Staff)

The Falcons jumped to the top of the National Baseball League this Sunday, after sending the Croydon Pirates further into the basement with a drubbing in both games of their doubleheader at Roundshaw Playing Fields in Croydon.

The Pirates, who have struggled to field a side of late, showed flashes of their old self but were still put to the sword by scores of 20-2 and 13-8.

Darrin Ward took the win for Herts in Game One, while Nic Goetz claimed the honors in Game Two.

The second match, in particular, was full of unconventional quirks that kept the fans engaged and the sideline-historians deep in “never seen that before” exchanges.  In the bottom of the first inning, Pirate Maikel Azcuy clubbed a home run over the short right field porch off Goetz.  He was mobbed by his teammates near the plate, elated that their fortunes seemed to be turning after a 1-2-3 top of the Falcons 1st.  But some heads-up work from catcher Lee Manning wiped the dinger off the scorepages – Azcuy never touched home plate after rounding the bases, and Manning simply brought the ball there to get the out from umpire Dave Thomson.

Then, late in the game as the Falcons were staging a late-inning comeback, Lin Yuchih was forced out at second base on a fielders choice for the second out of the inning.  The Pirates threw on to 1st, trying to double-up runner-batter Andy Cornish… and then turned around to see Lin walking off the field via third base.  Mistaking him for a runner-in-play they attempted to catch Lin (who ran into the pickle not sure if he was really out or safe at 2nd base!), tagged him, and ran off the field believing the inning had ended.  It wasn't until the Herts side and official scorers had convinced the umpires that Lin was actually charged with two outs in the same inning that the Croydon players were sent back onto the field to get out number three.

Despite the day's antics, the Falcons walked away from Roundshaw with their heads held high.  In just their first year in the National League they've established themselves as post-season contenders.  While a one game lead over Bracknell, Richmond and London is slim, it's a lead nonetheless… and more than Herts (or their rivals and critics) would have expected from an expansion team.  With half the season to play anything can happen.  But the League should probably start-over their search for the true underdogs – the Falcons don't seem to be rolling over for anyone.

Note: the other scheduled action in Week 8, a doubleheader between the Richmond Flames and London Mets, was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch at Finsbury Park.

GAME ONE

Herts Falcons at Croydon Pirates
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Herts Falcons 0 5 0 3 12 20 8 2
Croydon Pirates 2 0 0 0 0 2 5 2

Herts Falcons 20, Croydon Pirates 2
Herts Falcons Croydon Pirates
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Riley Fisher 3b 3 3 2 2 Player 1 p 3 0 0 0
Andy Cornish lf 3 2 2 5 (t5) Daniel Rose lf-p 0 0 0 0
Lin Yuchih 2b 4 1 1 3 Ron Almonte ss 2 1 0 0
Darrin Ward p 2 2 1 3 Jessie Quinones c-1b 3 0 0 0
Jason Greenberg c 2 2 0 1 Daniel Quinones 1b-rf 2 1 1 1
Nick Goetz ss 2 1 0 1 Jose Sosa 2b-3b 3 0 1 0
(t5) Luis Goncalves ss 0 0 0 0 Pdero Padilla 2b 1 0 0 0
Lee Manning 1b 2 2 1 1 (t3) Maikel Azcuy 2b-3b 0 0 0 0
John Oliver rf 1 4 1 1 Brandon Florence lf-p 2 0 0 0
Jamie Munn cf 0 3 0 1 Tadashi Zushi cf 2 0 1 0
Mark Morgenroth rf 2 0 2 0
(t5) Marco Moreno c 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 19 20 8 18 TEAM TOTALS 20 2 5 1

E: Riley Fisher, Nick Goetz, Player 1, Brandon Florence. DP: Croydon Pirates 2. LOB:
Herts Falcons 4, Croydon Pirates 6. 2B: Lin Yuchih, Andy Cornish. SB: Lee Manning,
John Oliver, Ron Almonte, Mark Morgenroth. SB: Nick Goetz. SF: Nick Goetz, Lee
Manning.

Herts Falcons IP H R ER BB SO
Darrin Ward W 5.00 5 2 1 3 2
Croydon Pirates            
Jessie Quinones 2.67 0 6 6 0 0
Player 1 L 1.33 6 9 8 9 1
Brandon Florence 1.00 2 3 3 2 1
Daniel Rose 0.00 0 2 2 2 0

HBP: by Player 1 (Jason Greenberg), by Player 1 (Andy Cornish). . , by Player 1
(Riley Fisher). , by Daniel Rose (Riley Fisher). WP: Player 1(5). T: 2:23. A: 39.

GAME TWO

Herts Falcons at Croydon Pirates
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Herts Falcons 3 0 1 0 0 4 5 13 8 4
Croydon Pirates 0 2 0 3 0 1 2 8 8 5

Herts Falcons 13, Croydon Pirates 8
Herts Falcons Croydon Pirates
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Riley Fisher 3b 2 2 0 0 Ron Almonte ss 4 0 0 0
Kimiyoshi Saionji 2b 4 3 2 2 Jose Sosa p 4 0 0 0
Lin Yuchih dh 5 1 1 0 Maikel Azcuy 3b 3 1 1 0
Andy Cornish rf 5 0 0 1 Jessie Quinones c 4 1 1 0
Lee Manning c 3 2 0 0 Daniel Quinones rf 4 2 0 0
Luis Goncalves ss 2 1 0 1 Brandon Florence lf 1 2 1 0
John Oliver 1b 4 1 1 1 (t7) Pdero Padilla lf 1 0 1 0
Aspi Dimitrov lf 3 1 1 0 Tadashi Zushi cf 3 2 2 3
Jamie Munn cf 4 2 3 1 (b7) Daniel Rose cf 1 0 0 0
Nick Goetz p 0 0 0 0 Stephen Gayle 2b 2 0 1 0
(b7) Nicardio Simms 2b 1 0 0 0
M Moreno 1b 3 0 1 1
TEAM TOTALS 32 13 8 6 TEAM TOTALS 31 8 8 4

E: Luis Goncalves(2), Lee Manning, Riley Fisher, Maikel Azcuy, Stephen Gayle, Jessie
Quinones, M Moreno, Tadashi Zushi. DP: Croydon Pirates 1. LOB: Croydon Pirates 7,
Herts Falcons 7. 2B: Tadashi Zushi, Brandon Florence. 3B: Maikel Azcuy. SB: Luis
Goncalves, John Oliver, Aspi Dimitrov, Brandon Florence, Tadashi Zushi.

Herts Falcons IP H R ER BB SO
Nick Goetz W 7.00 8 8 5 5 4
Croydon Pirates            
Jose Sosa L 7.00 8 13 5 8 7

HBP: by Jose Sosa (Luis Goncalves). WP: Nick Goetz(2), Jose Sosa. PB: Lee Manning,
Jessie Quinones. Balk: Jose Sosa(2). T: 2:34. A: 39.

by AspiDimitrov

FALCONS PUNISH FLAMES FOR ERROR-STREWN FIELDING

This article and images were provided by Joe Gray and were first published on Mister Baseball

 

The only National Baseball League (NBL) action last Sunday was a double-header between the Herts Falcons and Richmond Flames at Grovehill Ballpark.  Richmond were missing  several players, including the multi-talented Ryan Bird (suspended) and the dangerous Cody Cain, but their line-up still contained enough talent for the spectators at Grovehill Ballpark to be expecting two victories for the visitors.

Those spectators were to be treated to two gripping contests, with the HERTS FALCONS coming from behind to edge both games by 1 run. While the FALCONS’ sweep came as a surprise, the same cannot be said for the ingredients of the victories: HERTS combined well-drilled fielding, intelligent pitching, and opportunistic base-running, as they have done all season.

Their off-field programme is widely acknowledged as being a beacon for baseball development in Britain, and now they have proven that their club also deserves recognition on the field at the highest level of the game. This last statement would apply even if the FALCONS had lost all four of their 1-run contests, because the fact that they have just been keeping scorelines respectable against established NBL sides is some achievement for a team making a jump from playing in the second tier of baseball in 2008

 

Richmond Flames 6

Herts Falcons 7

 

After Yoshi Saito led off with a single for the FLAMES and the home team then failed to convert the second half of a makeable double-play opportunity, it looked like RICHMOND might get on the board in the first inning. However, the FALCONS’ starter Nick Goetz served up a second ground ball, and this time the HERTS infield did turn the double-play, suggesting that the failed effort one batter earlier was merely indicative of early-game nerves.

Goetz’s mound rival was the experienced hurler Michael Osborn (pictured to the left), who had overpowered the FALCONS just 3 weeks earlier, striking out 11 in a 10-3 victory. Osborn looked strong once more, but he had lost the advantage of novelty and, more significantly, his pitching was not backed up by his infield in the way it deserved to be. By the time Osborn got out of the first inning, the FLAMES defence had already gifted the FALCONS 4 runs.

RICHMOND halved the deficit in the second inning, and despite HERTS scoring another run in the bottom of the fifth frame, the FLAMES were able to take the lead in the top of the next inning, aided by a two-out 3-run double off the bat of Brett Wakeley, the number-nine hitter. This made the score 6-5.

 

In the bottom of the sixth, HERTS levelled the game with Andy Cornish stealing third and then advancing home after the attempt to gun him down ended up in the outfield. The FALCONS then attempted a squeeze bunt to plate the go-ahead run, with Aspi Dimitrov on third, Riley Fisher at bat, one out, and a count of 1-and-2.  The bunt went foul, though, and a long fly-ball off the bat of Jason Greenberg, the next batter, was caught in centre field to end the inning.

 

Goetz retired the first RICHMOND batter in the top of the final regulation inning but then gave up a walk to the next batter (his third of the game), which was followed by back-to-back singles to load the bases. Up stepped Brad Crinion, who had worked 11 pitches for a walk in his previous plate appearance (as part of the FLAMES’ 4-run rally in the sixth). Included in those 11 pitches were three fiercely hit balls that just strayed foul down the third-base line. In the seventh, though, Goetz pitched masterfully to Crinion, striking him out on three swings.

 

With the bases still loaded, the left-handed hitter Matt Spaulding came up to bat. He hit a grounder straight at first baseman Darrin Ward, and for a moment it looked like a bobble might take the ball away from the dependable gloveman, but Ward managed to handle it and then got across to first to retire Spaulding by two steps.

 

In the bottom of the seventh, the FALCONS got their lead-off hitter, Lin Yuchih, aboard with a walk, but Darrin Ward grounded into a force-out at second for the first out. With Kimiyoshi Saionji at bat (pictured right), HERTS might have considered bringing in a pinch-runner for Ward but this would have taken his glove out of the game if it had gone into extra innings.

 

Saionji had delivered a walk-off hit when HERTS defeated LONDON back at the start of May, and he did the same once again with his double to the recently installed permanent fence scoring Ward all the way from first.

 

Tellingly, this was the first earned run that Osborn had given up in the game.

 

 

Richmond Flames 4

Herts Falcons 5

 

Darrin Ward (pictured right) picked up the win in this game to join Henry Collins of BRACKNELL and Michael Osborn as the first pitchers to get to three victories this season.

 

RICHMOND opened the game with a 3-run first inning, but HERTS scored a run in each of the first four innings, while RICHMOND added only a solo home run, hit by Grant Delzoppo, through the top of the fifth inning.

 

With the game tied at 4-4, Ward led off the bottom of the fifth with a double and advanced to third on a ground-out to short. Like they had in game one, HERTS tried the squeeze bunt, but the RICHMOND pitcher Brad Crinion was clearly wise to the ploy as he directed the pitch well above the strike zone, making it impossible for Lee Manning to put bat on ball. This left Ward an easy out at the plate, killing the threat.

 

After holding the FLAMES to no score in the top of the sixth, the FALCONS again found themselves with one out and a runner on base, Jamie Munn (pictured left). This time, the call was made to bring in Andy Cornish as a pinch-hitter. He connected for a single to score Munn and leave the FALCONS three outs away from a second victory of the day.

 

Despite having to face the heart of RICHMOND’s batting line-up in the seventh, Ward struck out the side to complete an unlikely sweep.

 

The results left four teams tied for first in the NBL: RICHMOND (7-5), HERTS (6-4), LONDON (6-4), and BRACKNELL (5-3). The CROYDON PIRATES, the NBL’s fifth team, are yet to register a win.

 

Joe Gray writes for BaseballGB and also looks after Great British top-tier statistics, Project Cobb, and the Great Britain National Team archive.

More images from the game courtesy of Joe Gray

GAME 1

Richmond Flames at Herts Falcons
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Richmond Flames 0 2 0 0 0 4 0 6 11 11
Herts Falcons 4 0 0 0 1 1 1 7 4 2

Herts Falcons 7, Richmond Flames 6
Herts Falcons Richmond Flames
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Riley Fisher 3b 4 1 0 0 Saito Yoshi ss 4 0 3 0
Jason Greenberg c 4 1 0 0 Mann Mike 2b 4 0 0 0
Lin Yuchih dh 3 1 0 0 Grant Delzoppo c 2 0 0 0
Darrin Ward 1b 4 2 3 1 Guy Lidbetter lf-3b 4 1 2 0
Kimiyoshi Saionji 2b 3 1 1 2 Mike Osborn p 4 2 3 1
Luis Goncalves ss 3 0 0 1 Brad Crinion 1b 3 1 1 1
Andy Cornish rf 3 1 0 0 Mitt Spalding rf 4 1 0 0
Aspi Dimitrov lf 3 0 0 0 George Naumczik cf 2 1 1 2
Jamie Munn cf 3 0 0 0 Brett Wakeley 3b-lf 3 0 1 0
Nick Goetz p 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 30 7 4 4 TEAM TOTALS 30 6 11 4

E: Nick Goetz, Aspi Dimitrov, Guy Lidbetter(4), Mann Mike(2), Brett Wakeley(2), Saito
Yoshi, Brad Crinion, Grant Delzoppo. DP: Herts Falcons 1. LOB: Herts Falcons 6,
Richmond Flames 7. 2B: Kimiyoshi Saionji, Brett Wakeley. SB: Aspi Dimitrov, Andy
Cornish. SF: Kimiyoshi Saionji, George Naumczik.

Herts Falcons IP H R ER BB SO
Nick Goetz W 7.00 11 6 6 3 4
Richmond Flames            
Mike Osborn L 6.33 4 7 1 1 8

PB: Grant Delzoppo. T: 2:08. A: 38.

GAME 2

Richmond Flames at Herts Falcons
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Richmond Flames 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 4 5 6
Herts Falcons 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 5 8 2

Herts Falcons 5, Richmond Flames 4
Herts Falcons Richmond Flames
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Riley Fisher 3b 4 1 3 0 Saito Yoshi ss 3 1 0 0
Kimiyoshi Saionji rf 3 0 0 0 Mike Osborn 3b 4 0 0 0
Lin Yuchih 2b 3 1 1 0 Delzoppo Grant c 3 2 2 1
Darrin Ward p 3 1 2 0 Guy Lidbetter 1b 4 1 1 2
Luis Goncalves ss 1 0 0 0 Brad Crinion p 3 0 1 1
Lee Manning 1b 3 0 0 0 Brett Wakeley lf 2 0 1 0
Aspi Dimitrov lf 3 1 1 1 George Naumczik cf 3 0 0 0
Jamie Munn cf 3 1 0 0 Matt Spalding rf 3 0 0 0
Jason Greenberg c 2 0 0 0 Mike Mann 2b 3 0 0 0
(t6) Andy Cornish c 1 0 1 1
TEAM TOTALS 26 5 8 2 TEAM TOTALS 28 4 5 4

E: Riley Fisher(2), Mike Mann(3), Saito Yoshi(2), Matt Spalding. LOB: Herts Falcons
5, Richmond Flames 6. 2B: Darrin Ward, Guy Lidbetter, Brad Crinion. HR: Delzoppo
Grant. SB: Lin Yuchih(2), Luis Goncalves, Aspi Dimitrov.

Herts Falcons IP H R ER BB SO
Darrin Ward W 7.00 5 4 4 3 5
Richmond Flames            
Brad Crinion L 6.00 8 5 1 2 3

WP: Brad Crinion. T: 1:55. A: 38.

by AspiDimitrov

FALCONS KEEP UP WITH THE PACK IN NBL TITLE CHASE

Report from Herts Baseball Newswire Correspondent, ANDY CORNISH

 

With a runner on third and second, two down and a one run lead to protect, there was a visit to the mound with Catcher Lee Manning, pitcher Darrin Ward and stand in manager Andy Cornish.  Lee started off ‘should we walk this guy, he swings big?’  It was decided to pitch to the current batter.  A ground ball back to Darrin, and easy play at first base, which was followed a state of euphoria.  HERTS WIN, HERTS WIN!

 

With Manager Jason ‘Skip’ Greenberg, Dan ‘Hollywood’ Kerry and Riley ‘the Fish’ Fisher all missing and Eagles game cancelled due to the forecasted weather, additions of Louis Hare and Dave Westfallen were made to the roster.  Herts travelled through a variable weather fronts that has been common with the last few summers in the UK, arriving at top of the National League’s, Bracknell, field in the pouring rain.  It soon cleared up, and the game began on time, and a brilliant game of baseball occurred.  Blows were traded in each inning with no-one certain of the outcome.  In the fourth inning, Bracknell runners on second and third, a ground ball came out to third baseman, Nic Goetz, who threw home, a run down occurred, ending with a tag out, the batter decided to head to second base, unaware there was still a runner there.  Heading back to first base, the runner incurred the second run down of the inning, once again ending in a tag out.  Two run downs, one inning.  Herts were 2 runs up after the 4th and holding strong, but coming out of the 5th inning it was 6-6.  Leading off the top of the 6th, leadoff batter Aspi Dimitrov walked, stole second, advanced to third on a passed ball, and trotted home on a sac fly by Yuchih Lin, 7-6.  Darrin Ward then closed the book on this game only allowing 3 hits over the next 2 innings and shutting down the Bracknell’s offence. 

 

Bracknell looked visibly shaken by this loss.  Nic Goetz took the mound for Herts and a pitching duel commenced in some heavy rain.  Nic was excellent, only allowing 3 hits over the full 7 innings.  This was not enough to wake up the sleeping bats of Herts, and Goetz ended up on the wrong side of a 4-1 game.  During the game, Herts did not get a hit, however, a rare highlight in the sixth as Darrin Ward managed to hit in the only run on an error by the outfield.  Lin (who had also reached on an error) ran around from first base to score as Darrin stood up at second base.  Both Dave Westfallen and Louis Hare provided solid defence, throwing out multiple runners and being a rock at first base respectively.  The second game did not tell the full story as the usually reliable defence had to battle with the heavy showers, allowing 5 errors.

 

Lee Manning made a triumphant return behind the dish, batting 2-4 in the first game, scoring a run, with reliable Kimi Saionji also going 2-4. Stand in manager Andy Cornish commented ‘We came out the blocks straight away against top of the division, and a positive mood in the camp came through.  Bracknell thought that we would just roll over and we were not here to do that, fortune seems to favour the bold.  We need to build on the positives, and next time we see them I am expecting an improvement.  I am very proud of a few players in particular.  The supporters were excellent as always, even in the weather and don’t always seem to get some of the notice that they deserve.’

 

GAME 1


Herts Falcons at Bracknell Blazers
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Herts Falcons 1 3 2 0 0 1 0 7 9 2
Bracknell Blazers 2 2 0 0 2 0 0 6 11 1

Herts Falcons 7, Bracknell Blazers 6
Herts Falcons Bracknell Blazers
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Aspi Dimitrov lf 3 1 1 1 Leo Morgan lf 4 0 0 0
Luis Goncalves ss 2 0 1 1 Damian Van Nickerl 3b 2 1 0 0
Lin Yuchih 2b 3 1 1 1 Ryan Trask ss 4 2 3 2
Darrin Ward p 4 1 1 1 Matt Matland dh-p 4 0 0 0
Kimiyoshi Saionji rf 4 1 2 1 Henry Collins cf 4 1 2 0
John Oliver 1b 3 1 0 0 Marcus Simpson rf 3 1 1 1
Lee Manning c 4 1 2 0 Connor Vernon 2b 4 0 1 0
Nick Goetz 3b 2 1 0 0 Matt Bray c 4 1 3 1
Jamie Munn cf 2 0 1 2 Phil Matthews 1b 3 0 1 0
Brendon Cunliffe p 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 27 7 9 7 TEAM TOTALS 32 6 11 4
E: Lin Yuchih, Kimiyoshi Saionji, Damian Van Nickerl. LOB: Herts Falcons 6, Bracknell
Blazers 9. 2B: Kimiyoshi Saionji, Darrin Ward, Luis Goncalves, Jamie Munn. HR: Ryan
Trask. SB: Aspi Dimitrov(2), Ryan Trask(2), Henry Collins(2), Connor Vernon. CS:
Jamie Munn. SB: Damian Van Nickerl. SF: Luis Goncalves, Lin Yuchih.
Herts Falcons IP H R ER BB SO
Darrin Ward W 7.00 11 6 2 2 6
Bracknell Blazers            
Brendon Cunliffe 4.00 7 6 5 3 6
Matt Matland L 3.00 2 1 0 2 1
HBP: by Darrin Ward (Phil Matthews). . . . . . WP: Brendon Cunliffe(2). PB: Lee
Manning, Matt Bray. T: 2:05. A: 48.

GAME 2

Herts Falcons at Bracknell Blazers
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Herts Falcons 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 5
Bracknell Blazers 0 1 0 0 2 1 0 4 3 3

Bracknell Blazers 4, Herts Falcons 1
Bracknell Blazers Herts Falcons
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Leo Morgan cf 2 0 0 0 Luis Goncalves ss 4 0 0 0
Damian Van Nickerk 3b 3 0 0 0 Jamie Munn lf 3 0 0 0
Ryan Trask ss 2 0 1 2 Lin Yuchih 3b 1 1 0 0
Matt Matland p 1 0 0 0 Darrin Ward dh 2 0 0 0
(t4) Henry Collins p 2 0 1 0 Kimiyoshi Saionji 2b 3 0 0 0
Tom Bray c 1 2 0 0 Dave Westfallen c 3 0 0 0
Max Flasher 2b 3 0 0 0 Louis Hare 1b 2 0 0 0
Phil Matthews 1b 3 0 0 0 (t6) John Oliver 1b 1 0 0 0
Yaso Minousa lf 3 1 1 1 Aspi Dimitrov cf 1 0 0 0
Mike Cattermole rf 3 1 0 0 Andy Cornish rf 3 0 0 0
Nick Goetz p 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 23 4 3 3 TEAM TOTALS 23 1 0 0
E: Damian Van Nickerk, Ryan Trask, Max Flasher, Lin Yuchih(2), Luis Goncalves, Nick
Goetz, Aspi Dimitrov. LOB: Bracknell Blazers 5, Herts Falcons 6. 2B: Yaso Minousa.
SB: Ryan Trask, Tom Bray. CS: Henry Collins. SB: Leo Morgan.
Bracknell Blazers IP H R ER BB SO
Henry Collins 4.00 0 1 0 1 2
Matt Matland W 3.00 0 0 0 3 4
Herts Falcons            
Nick Goetz L 6.00 3 4 1 2 4
HBP: by Henry Collins (Aspi Dimitrov). , by Nick Goetz (Tom Bray). . T: 1:38. A: 48.

 

 

With a runner on third and second, two down and a one run lead to protect, there was a visit to the mound with Catcher Lee Manning, pitcher Darrin Ward and stand in manager Andy Cornish.  Lee started off ‘should we walk this guy, he swings big?’  It was decided to pitch to the current batter.  A ground ball back to Darrin, and easy play at first base, which was followed a state of euphoria.  HERTS WIN, HERTS WIN!

 

With Manager Jason ‘Skip’ Greenberg, Dan ‘Hollywood’ Kerry and Riley ‘the Fish’ Fisher all missing and Eagles game cancelled due to the forecasted weather, additions of Louis Hare and Dave Westfallen were made to the roster.  Herts travelled through a variable weather fronts that has been common with the last few summers in the UK, arriving at top of the National League’s, Bracknell, field in the pouring rain.  It soon cleared up, and the game began on time, and a brilliant game of baseball occurred.  Blows were traded in each inning with no-one certain of the outcome.  In the fourth inning, Bracknell runners on second and third, a ground ball came out to third baseman, Nic Goetz, who threw home, a run down occurred, ending with a tag out, the batter decided to head to second base, unaware there was still a runner there.  Heading back to first base, the runner incurred the second run down of the inning, once again ending in a tag out.  Two run downs, one inning.  Herts were 2 runs up after the 4th and holding strong, but coming out of the 5th inning it was 6-6.  Leading off the top of the 6th, leadoff batter Aspi Dimitrov walked, stole second, advanced to third on a passed ball, and trotted home on a sac fly by Yuchih Lin, 7-6.  Darrin Ward then closed the book on this game only allowing 3 hits over the next 2 innings and shutting down the Bracknell’s offence. 

 

Bracknell looked visibly shaken by this loss.  Nic Goetz took the mound for Herts and a pitching duel commenced in some heavy rain.  Nic was excellent, only allowing 3 hits over the full 7 innings.  This was not enough to wake up the sleeping bats of Herts, and Goetz ended up on the wrong side of a 4-1 game.  During the game, Herts did not get a hit, however, a rare highlight in the sixth as Darrin Ward managed to hit in the only run on an error by the outfield.  Lin (who had also reached on an error) ran around from first base to score as Darrin stood up at second base.  Both Dave Westfallen and Louis Hare provided solid defence, throwing out multiple runners and being a rock at first base respectively.  The second game did not tell the full story as the usually reliable defence had to battle with the heavy showers, allowing 5 errors.

 

Lee Manning made a triumphant return behind the dish, batting 2-4 in the first game, scoring a run, with reliable Kimi Saionji also going 2-4. Stand in manager Andy Cornish commented ‘We came out the blocks straight away against top of the division, and a positive mood in the camp came through.  Bracknell thought that we would just roll over and we were not here to do that, fortune seems to favour the bold.  We need to build on the positives, and next time we see them I am expecting an improvement.  I am very proud of a few players in particular.  The supporters were excellent as always, even in the weather and don’t always seem to get some of the notice that they deserve.’

 

GAME 1


Herts Falcons at Bracknell Blazers
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Herts Falcons 1 3 2 0 0 1 0 7 9 2
Bracknell Blazers 2 2 0 0 2 0 0 6 11 1

Herts Falcons 7, Bracknell Blazers 6
Herts Falcons Bracknell Blazers
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Aspi Dimitrov lf 3 1 1 1 Leo Morgan lf 4 0 0 0
Luis Goncalves ss 2 0 1 1 Damian Van Nickerl 3b 2 1 0 0
Lin Yuchih 2b 3 1 1 1 Ryan Trask ss 4 2 3 2
Darrin Ward p 4 1 1 1 Matt Matland dh-p 4 0 0 0
Kimiyoshi Saionji rf 4 1 2 1 Henry Collins cf 4 1 2 0
John Oliver 1b 3 1 0 0 Marcus Simpson rf 3 1 1 1
Lee Manning c 4 1 2 0 Connor Vernon 2b 4 0 1 0
Nick Goetz 3b 2 1 0 0 Matt Bray c 4 1 3 1
Jamie Munn cf 2 0 1 2 Phil Matthews 1b 3 0 1 0
Brendon Cunliffe p 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 27 7 9 7 TEAM TOTALS 32 6 11 4
E: Lin Yuchih, Kimiyoshi Saionji, Damian Van Nickerl. LOB: Herts Falcons 6, Bracknell
Blazers 9. 2B: Kimiyoshi Saionji, Darrin Ward, Luis Goncalves, Jamie Munn. HR: Ryan
Trask. SB: Aspi Dimitrov(2), Ryan Trask(2), Henry Collins(2), Connor Vernon. CS:
Jamie Munn. SB: Damian Van Nickerl. SF: Luis Goncalves, Lin Yuchih.
Herts Falcons IP H R ER BB SO
Darrin Ward W 7.00 11 6 2 2 6
Bracknell Blazers            
Brendon Cunliffe 4.00 7 6 5 3 6
Matt Matland L 3.00 2 1 0 2 1
HBP: by Darrin Ward (Phil Matthews). . . . . . WP: Brendon Cunliffe(2). PB: Lee
Manning, Matt Bray. T: 2:05. A: 48.

GAME 2

Herts Falcons at Bracknell Blazers
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Herts Falcons 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 5
Bracknell Blazers 0 1 0 0 2 1 0 4 3 3

Bracknell Blazers 4, Herts Falcons 1
Bracknell Blazers Herts Falcons
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Leo Morgan cf 2 0 0 0 Luis Goncalves ss 4 0 0 0
Damian Van Nickerk 3b 3 0 0 0 Jamie Munn lf 3 0 0 0
Ryan Trask ss 2 0 1 2 Lin Yuchih 3b 1 1 0 0
Matt Matland p 1 0 0 0 Darrin Ward dh 2 0 0 0
(t4) Henry Collins p 2 0 1 0 Kimiyoshi Saionji 2b 3 0 0 0
Tom Bray c 1 2 0 0 Dave Westfallen c 3 0 0 0
Max Flasher 2b 3 0 0 0 Louis Hare 1b 2 0 0 0
Phil Matthews 1b 3 0 0 0 (t6) John Oliver 1b 1 0 0 0
Yaso Minousa lf 3 1 1 1 Aspi Dimitrov cf 1 0 0 0
Mike Cattermole rf 3 1 0 0 Andy Cornish rf 3 0 0 0
Nick Goetz p 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 23 4 3 3 TEAM TOTALS 23 1 0 0
E: Damian Van Nickerk, Ryan Trask, Max Flasher, Lin Yuchih(2), Luis Goncalves, Nick
Goetz, Aspi Dimitrov. LOB: Bracknell Blazers 5, Herts Falcons 6. 2B: Yaso Minousa.
SB: Ryan Trask, Tom Bray. CS: Henry Collins. SB: Leo Morgan.
Bracknell Blazers IP H R ER BB SO
Henry Collins 4.00 0 1 0 1 2
Matt Matland W 3.00 0 0 0 3 4
Herts Falcons            
Nick Goetz L 6.00 3 4 1 2 4
HBP: by Henry Collins (Aspi Dimitrov). , by Nick Goetz (Tom Bray). . T: 1:38. A: 48.

by AspiDimitrov

11th-HOUR FALCONS RALLY TRIPS UP NATIONAL CHAMPS

No one knew what to expect in Sunday's showdown between the Herts Falcons – newcomers to the National Baseball League – and the reigning champion London Mets.

On Opening Day the Falcons swept the Croydon Pirates and, in doing so, made an assertive debut onto the national stage.  The Mets, on the other hand, suffered a surprise clubbing by the Richmond Flames in their first match-up.  So, who could predict the state of play in the UK's top-tier of baseball…?

From the first at-bat of Game One it looked like an uphill battle for Herts.  Mets leadoff man Callum Woods rocketed a fastball from Nic Goetz deep into the outfield for a triple and immediately scored on a sacrifice fly.  Goetz recovered and threw two fly outs to retire the side.  The Falcons answered with two runs of their own in the bottom of the 1st, as Jason Greenberg and Kimiyoshi Saionji each worked a walk and crossed the plate on a pair of singles from Darrin Ward and Lin Yuchih.

The Mets kept pecking away at Goetz through the morning, scoring seven more runs by the sixth inning and leading the Falcons by a score of 8-4.  Herts sent the hard-throwing Dan Kerry to the mound in the top of the 7th for his Falcons pitching debut.  Kerry was unflappable.  Although he surrendered two walks, he also worked a fielder's choice and two swinging strikeouts, buckling the Mets batters with his late-breaking curve.

Kerry's work from the mound proved critical as the Falcons went to their last at-bat needing four runs to tie.  Kimiyoshi Saionji – hitless for the day as the clean-up designated hitter – led things off with another walk.  Kerry and Yuchih followed with walks of their own.  London relief pitcher Rob Anthony was struggling with his control, and the Falcons exhibited incredible patience at the plate.  But after a mound visit from the Mets manager, Anthony found some command and quickly earned a fly out and a strikeout to bring London within one out of a win.

But the Falcons weren't finished yet.  Short stop phenom Luis Goncalves came to the plate and smacked a two-out single, driving home two runs and brining the score to 8-6.  Kerry – the man of the hour – then drove his own single up the middle.  Yuchih scored easily from third base, and Goncalves was waved around third and slid hard across home plate just before the throw from centerfielder Ran Zeng.  Two runs were in and the game was tied.

A wild pitch moved Kerry to third, and then back-to-back walks from Greenberg and Andy Cornish loaded the bases as Sainoji returned to the plate for his second appearance of the inning.  The Falcons fans had been screaming with exuberance to this point, but fell silent as Saionji concentrated on the task at hand.  He quickly saw two strikes, but remained calm in the batters box, fouled off several pitches, took a few balls and watched the count go full.  A smooth, level swing from Saionji squeezed through the gap at second base and the winning run scored easily as the Falcons achieved an incredible 9-8 come-from-behind victory against all odds.

Kerry claimed the win in his first NBL appearance, and went 3-for-5 at the plate with two stolen bases.  Yuchih also had three hits, and Goncalves was 1-2 with two runs and 2 RBI.

The Mets, no doubt stung by that loss, came out firing in Game Two and Kyle Hickson smashed a two-run homer as the London side routed Herts 12-2, backed by a dominating pitching performance by Ernesto Bollufer, who gave up only three hits.

Despite the Game Two setback, the Falcons' Aspi Dimitrov reckons his side, with a record of 3-1 out of the gate, are raising a few eyebrows among the baseball fraternity.  “It was a big day for the club today with it being our home opener, and to beat such a strong team as the Mets is a fantastic achievement,” Dimitrov said.  Falcons Manager Greenberg was less surprised by (but just as proud of)his team's determination.  “It takes a lot of mettle to hit in those situations – with two outs and the tying or winning run on base.  Kimi and Dan were magnificent today, and it's because of fearless players like them that we'll continue to win games at this level.  Make no mistake about it: the Falcons don't plan to lay down for anyone.  We'll just get better and better.”

The other action scheduled for Sunday would have seen the Croydon Pirates (0-4) travel to the Bracknell Blazers (2-0), but the BBF gave dispensation for the game to be rescheduled for August to allow Croydon to rebuild their roster.

The Pirates have a bye week coming up, and will be using that time to hold trials as they aim to put together a squad that can challenge in the NBL.

Week 4 action on May 10 will see the Falcons (3-1) host the Richmond Flames (2-2), while the Blazers travel to the Mets (1-3).

Click for more photos from the Falcons vs. Mets series…

GAME ONE

London Mets at Herts Falcons
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
London Mets 1 0 2 1 3 1 0 8 9 0
Herts Falcons 2 0 0 0 0 2 5 9 11 3

Herts Falcons 9, London Mets 8
Herts Falcons London Mets
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Dan Kerry cf-p 5 2 3 2 Callum Woods ss-c 4 2 3 1
Jason Greenberg c 2 1 0 0 Ran Zeng cf 3 0 0 2
Andy Cornish lf 4 0 1 2 Rob Anthony 2b-p-ss 1 2 0 0
Kimiyoshi Saionji dh-rf 3 2 1 1 Kyle Hickson rf 4 1 2 1
Darrin Ward 1b 3 1 2 1 Jason Roberts p-lf 4 1 1 1
Lin Yuchih 2b 4 1 3 1 Carlos Diaz 1b-3b 4 0 1 0
Riley Fisher 3b 3 0 0 0 Jonathon Crammon lf 2 0 0 0
Aspi Dimitrov rf-cf 3 0 0 0 (b6) Reid Wilson 2b 1 0 0 0
Luis Goncalves ss 2 2 1 2 Martin Stabe 3b 2 0 0 0
Nick Goetz p 0 0 0 0 (b5) Josh Chetwynd 1b 0 0 0 0
          Tomas Bird 2b-c 1 1 1 0
          (b3) Carl Randall 2b-ss 3 1 1 1
TEAM TOTALS 29 9 11 9 TEAM TOTALS 29 8 9 6

E: Dan Kerry, Jason Greenberg, Darrin Ward. DP: London Mets 1, Herts Falcons 1. LOB:
London Mets 9, Herts Falcons 11. 2B: Callum Woods, Kyle Hickson. 3B: Callum Woods,
Carl Randall. SB: Dan Kerry(2), Luis Goncalves(2), Callum Woods, Carl Randall, Rob
Anthony. CS: Andy Cornish. SF: Ran Zeng(2).

Herts Falcons IP H R ER BB SO
Nick Goetz 6.00 9 8 5 6 1
Dan Kerry W 1.00 0 0 0 2 2
London Mets            
Jason Roberts 5.67 7 4 4 7 9
Rob Anthony L 1.00 4 5 5 4 1

WP: Nick Goetz(2), Rob Anthony. T: 2:45. A: 89.
GAME TWO

London Mets at Herts Falcons
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
London Mets 4 1 0 3 2 2 12 13 0
Herts Falcons 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 3 0

London Mets 12, Herts Falcons 2
London Mets Herts Falcons
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Callum Woods 3b-p 4 1 2 3 Dan Kerry cf-p 3 0 0 1
Carl Randall 2b 3 1 2 1 Andy Cornish lf 2 0 0 0
(b4) Martin Stabe 2b-3b 1 0 0 0 Lin Yuchih 1b-rf 3 0 0 0
Rob Anthony ss 3 2 2 2 Darrin Ward p-1b 3 0 0 0
Jason Roberts lf 3 0 0 0 Kimiyoshi Saionji 2b 3 0 1 0
(b5) Jonathon Crammon lf 1 0 0 0 Riley Fisher c 1 1 1 0
Kyle Hickson cf 4 3 3 3 Aspi Dimitrov rf-cf 1 0 0 0
Josh Chetwynd 1b 3 1 1 1 (b6) Jason Greenberg cf 1 0 1 0
Carlos Diaz dh 3 1 1 0 Nick Goetz 3b 1 1 0 0
(t6) Ran Zeng dh 1 0 0 0 Luis Goncalves ss 1 0 0 0
Reid Wilson rf 4 1 1 0
Rodolfo Matos c 1 2 1 0
Ernesto Balufer p-2b 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 31 12 13 10 TEAM TOTALS 19 2 3 1

DP: London Mets 1. LOB: London Mets 5, Herts Falcons 6. 2B: Josh Chetwynd. HR: Kyle
Hickson. SB: Kyle Hickson, Rob Anthony, Josh Chetwynd, Nick Goetz. SB: Aspi Dimitrov.

London Mets IP H R ER BB SO
Ernesto Balufer W 5.33 3 2 2 6 6
Callum Woods 0.67 0 0 0 0 1
Herts Falcons            
Darrin Ward L 4.00 10 9 7 1 1
Dan Kerry 2.00 3 3 3 2 3

HBP: by Dan Kerry (Rob Anthony). WP: Ernesto Balufer(2), Darrin Ward. Balk: Darrin
Ward. T: 2:40. A: 89.

by AspiDimitrov

AHOY! FALCONS SWEEP PIRATES IN NATIONAL LEAGUE DEBUT

Opening Day in British Baseball is never a sure-fire omen of what’s to come.  It’s early.  Teams are just regrouping after the long winter or rainy spring.  And, unlike the world of professional baseball, teams play just a handful of games each month – not exactly a sizeable sample set on which to base scientific speculation.

 

Nevertheless, the Falcons’ National League debut has given the Herts Baseball Club a surge of pride and optimism for the season to come.  By sweeping the Croydon Pirates and jumping out to a 2-0 start, the Falcons have quickly justified their off-season promotion to Britain’s top league of play and silenced any naysayers.

 

Manager Jason Greenberg reportedly came to Croydon bearing the Herts championship game ball from the 2008 Final 4, in which the Falcons bested Oxford 6-3 to take home the trophy.  It was that game – capping a magical 21-3 stroll through the AAA – that earned the Falcons advancement to the NBL.  Despite admonitions from select baseball insiders that Herts was “flying too high on waxen wings,” the Club’s Executive Committee voted unanimously to accept the BBF invitation.  Now entrenched at the game’s top level, the Falcons cannot be relegated to a lower league and will work over the months and years toward their first National Title.  It was this message that Greenberg carried with the championship game ball: the Falcons have earned their promotion and are here to stay.

 

 

Game One – 12:00
FALCONS 11, PIRATES 5

 

Herts sent crafty veteran Darrin Ward to the mound in game one.  Ward was magnificent, working out of several runners-on jams, and holding the Pirates scoreless with seven hits over six innings.

 

With an 11-0 lead in the bottom of the 7th, things seemed to slip away for Herts.  After striking out the leadoff batter, a quick series of three hits, a fielder’s choice and a walk (only Ward’s second of the day) allowed 5 Pirates to cross the plate.  All the runs scored with two outs, and that final out of the game was proving elusive.  Nevertheless, catcher Greenberg made a sharp throw down to second to catch a would-be base-stealer for the final out of the game.

 

Ward was easily the player of the game, with nine strikeouts in his first complete game of ’09.  At the plate, he smacked two doubles and had three hits overall with two runs batted in.  Rookies  Jamie Munn and Lin Yuchih had clutch hits in their Falcons debuts; Munn drove in two RBI with a hard single up the middle, while Lin was 2-4 with a double and an RBI.  2008 Falcons batting champion Kimiyoshi Saionji was 3-4 with a double, three runs scored and an RBI.

 

Game Two – 14:30
FALCONS 10, PIRATES 3

 

Hard-throwing Nic Goetz started Game Two for the Falcons.  The good dynamic between Goetz and catcher Andy Cornish was quickly apparent, as the two worked seamlessly to retire nine of the first ten Pirates to come to the plate.  Goetz worked both sides of the dish and changed speeds effectively to hold Croydon to one earned run on eight hits in the game.

 

Again, the Falcons defense shined.  Two spectacular double plays were turned in by rookie phenom Yuchih Lin – the first on a gutsy 5-4-3 move from the versatile Ward at third base, and the second on a hard-hit liner taken by Lin at the second base bag, doubling up a Pirate trying to dive back to safety.  Centerfielder Dan “Hollywood” Kerry made a signature all-out diving catch in centerfield, and right fielder Aspi Dimitrov made a spectacular run to cut down a deep down-the-line fly in the bottom of the 6th.  The Falcons outfield should prove one of the fastest and gutsiest in the National League.

 

Dimitrov was also sharp at the plate going 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI, and Cornish had a pair of doubles batting 3-for-5 with 4 RBI.

 

On Deck – National Champion London Mets
GROVEHILL, SUNDAY 3 MAY 12:00

 

Herts batted .352 on the day with eight doubles and thirteen stolen bases.  It was a complete reversal from the Herts Spring League, in which their bats were mostly silent and, for the most part, they failed to get runners into scoring position.  While the Falcons defense has always been strong, it was their offense that truly came alive on Sunday and just in time for their entrance onto the National stage.

The Herts organisation made a splash on opening day, winning 5 of its 6 games, with victories for the A Raptors, AAA Eagles and NBL Falcons.  Only a nail-biter 14-12 loss by the AA Hawks prevented a clean sweep.

 

The Falcons can enjoy their undefeated status for an extra week with an off-day this Sunday.  On May 3rd they face the reigning National League champion London Mets for the home opener in Grovehill.  No doubt, as the season plays out we’ll quickly have a better sense of how Herts will contend against the country’s top pitching… how their pitching will cope with Britain’s top batters.  But, for now, the Falcons are content to have proved that their promotion was no mistake.

 

 

GAME ONE BOX SCORE

Herts Falcons at Croydon Pirates
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Herts Falcons 3 0 0 0 0 4 4 11 12 2
Croydon Pirates 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 5 13 8

Herts Falcons 11, Croydon Pirates 5
Herts Falcons Croydon Pirates
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Jamie Munn cf 4 1 1 2 Tim Ssali 2b 4 0 1 0
Lin Yuchih ss 4 1 2 1 Aki Okada lf 4 1 3 0
Andy Cornish rf 4 1 0 0 Jose Sosa ss 4 1 2 1
Kimiyoshi Saionji 2b 4 3 3 1 Maikel Azcuy 3b 4 1 1 1
Darrin Ward p 4 1 3 2 Brett Woods 1b 3 1 2 0
Dan Kerry lf 4 2 1 1 Mike Ford c 3 1 1 0
Jason Greenberg c 4 2 1 1 C. Richie Limm cf 1 0 0 0
John Oliver 1b 4 0 0 1 (b4) Brandon Florence cf 3 0 2 2
Nick Goetz 3b 4 0 1 0 Jared Uys p 3 0 0 0
Frank Kucharski rf 2 0 1 0
(t6) Player name TBC rf 1 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 36 11 12 9 TEAM TOTALS 32 5 13 4

E: Lin Yuchih, John Oliver, Jose Sosa(4), Maikel Azcuy(3), Tim Ssali. DP: Croydon
Pirates 2. LOB: Herts Falcons 5, Croydon Pirates 8. 2B: Darrin Ward(2), Kimiyoshi
Saionji, Lin Yuchih, Jose Sosa. SB: Dan Kerry(2), Jason Greenberg(2), Lin Yuchih,
Andy Cornish, Darrin Ward, Kimiyoshi Saionji, Jamie Munn, Brett Woods(2), Maikel
Azcuy, Aki Okada. CS: Lin Yuchih, Brandon Florence.

Herts Falcons IP H R ER BB SO
Darrin Ward W 7.00 13 5 4 2 9
Croydon Pirates            
Jared Uys L 7.00 12 11 5 1 9

WP: Jared Uys(3). T: 2:24. A: 55.

 

 

 

GAME TWO BOX SCORE

 

Herts Falcons at Croydon Pirates
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Herts Falcons 0 4 0 2 2 1 1 10 13 2
Croydon Pirates 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 3 8 3

Herts Falcons 10, Croydon Pirates 3
Herts Falcons Croydon Pirates
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Jamie Munn lf 5 1 1 0 Tim c 4 0 2 0
Lin Yuchih 2b 5 1 2 1 Paul Stevens 1b-p 4 1 1 0
Andy Cornish c 5 0 3 4 Jose Sosa p-1b 3 0 1 1
Kimiyoshi Saionji dh 2 1 0 0 M. Asuya ss 3 0 0 0
Darrin Ward 3b 4 0 2 0 Brett Woods 3b 3 0 0 0
Dan Kerry cf 4 1 1 1 Brandon Florence cf 2 2 1 0
John Oliver 1b 3 2 1 1 F. Kucharski 2b 2 0 0 0
Lee Manning ss 4 2 1 0 (b7) Oscar Silva 2b 1 0 1 1
Aspi Dimitrov rf 3 1 2 2 G. Shepherd rf 2 0 1 0
(t7) Jason Greenberg pr-rf 0 1 0 0 (t6) Aki Okada rf 1 0 0 0
Nick Goetz p 0 0 0 0 Rod Stevenson lf 3 0 1 1
TEAM TOTALS 35 10 13 9 TEAM TOTALS 28 3 8 3

E: Lee Manning, Nick Goetz, Brett Woods, Brandon Florence, F. Kucharski. LOB: Croydon
Pirates 5, Herts Falcons 9. 2B: Andy Cornish(2), Darrin Ward, Lin Yuchih. 3B: Paul
Stevens. SB: Kimiyoshi Saionji, Dan Kerry, John Oliver, Jamie Munn. CS: Andy Cornish.

Herts Falcons IP H R ER BB SO
Nick Goetz W 7.00 8 3 1 1 4
Croydon Pirates            
Jose Sosa L 5.00 9 8 5 3 5
Paul Stevens 2.00 4 2 2 0 2

HBP: by Jose Sosa (Kimiyoshi Saionji). . , by Paul Stevens (Kimiyoshi Saionji). . WP:
Nick Goetz. PB: Tim. T: 2:00. A: 55.

by AspiDimitrov

DRAMATIC END TO 2009 HERTS SPRING LEAGUE

 

The 2009 Herts Spring League ended on Sunday with the races for the Pool 1 and Poll 2 titles coming alive.

 

At the start of the final round of matches in Pool 1 three teams were in with a chance to win it.  The Alconbury Braves knew that in order to jump above the leading Bracknell Blazers, they needed to win their final game by 3 runs.  But in that final game they faced the Southampton Mustangs who were also in with a chance to win the title if they could overcome the Braves. 

 

We were set for a clash between two title contenders and this certainly was no Spring Training game.  Both Southampton and Alconbury went out on the field visibly motivated to win.  There were even some heated clashes between individual players of the two teams when Mustangs pitcher, Ralph, was determined to get to second base and collided into the Braves’ second baseman who simply wanted to apply a routine tag on him for the third out of the inning.  The Braves showed a lot of class by not getting physically involved after what was a slightly overaggressive play by Southampton. 

 

Both teams will probably have their own different views on the incident but it was proof of the desire which both teams had to win the HSL title and that’s the way every baseball game should be played.

 

The Mustangs were holding on to the lead until Braves first baseman, Matt Walker, launched a home run over the right field wall to tie the game at 7-7.  This was also the first home run at the new-look Grovehill Ballpark in Hertfordshire and its new permanent outfield fence.

 

With HSL games being timed, the clock was ticking for both teams as a tie was no good to either of them.  In the top of 9th inning Southampton retired the Braves batters and they had just a few minutes left in the bottom of the inning to win the game.  Alconbury held on and so the game was declared a tie.  This meant that both teams had knocked each other out of the title race and the Bracknell Blazers were declared the 2009 Herts Spring League Pool 1 winners.

 

In Pool 2 the battle was just as exciting.  Braintree Rays, Richmond Dragons and the Herts 3 were all in the running.  Herts 3 were in pole position with a 100% record so far, but they stumbled against a tough MK Bucks team who won 13-5.  This meant that Herts 3 had to rely results of the games played at Connare Field in Richmond.  The Braintree Rays lost to the Kent Mariners and were no longer a threat to Herts 3.  The only remaining contender were the Richmond Dragons.  They were up against Herts 2 who were determined to help their club mates, Herts 3.  After going neck-and-neck for a few innings, Herts 2 opened up a big lead with a devastating 9 runs in the fourth inning.  Richmond were not able to catch up and so Herts 3 were declared the HSL Pool 2 Champions.

 

The second year of the Herts Spring League has proven to be better than the first year with more teams and fans taking part.  Teams are already submitting their applications to enter the 2010 HSL, which is great to see.

 

But right now it is time for all the teams to get set for the real thing as the 2009 British Baseball season is about to get under way this coming Sunday, 19 April 2009, with games taking place across the whole country.

 

Images courtesy of HP2Photographic.com

 

For full list of results, standings and more about this year's Herts Spring League visit the official HSL website.