Category: Falcons

by AspiDimitrov

FALCONS REPEL ARROWS’ ATTACK, SWEEP HOME OPENER

The last time the Falcons faced the Essex Arrows was on June 11 2006.  That double-header – also played at Grovehill – came midway through the first team's seemingly endless 13-game losing streak and pushed them deeper still into the basement of the Premiere League.  While those individual losses were hardly blowouts (9-4 and 14-12), they did little to raise Herts' dispirited hopes and only perpetuated one of the worst seasons in Club history.

Sunday's opener, therefore, marked an important rematch for some veteran Falcons, as well as an important test for the revamped squad.  Since mid-January they had been training diligently and making plans for a winning season.  Would the Herts first team show might on the mound, focus in the field, and patience at the plate…?

2007 Best Pitcher and staff ace Nic Goetz (4-0, 3.71 ERA) took the mound for the home team.  Goetz immediately had the Arrows off-balance striking out the leadoff batter and drawing a pop-out and fly-out to end the inning.  The Arrows never managed to find their stride, and despite surrendering six walks, a hit batsman and two wild pitches on the day, Goetz yielded only three runs on three hits to take his first win of the season.

The second game marked the Falcons debut of 'screwballer' Darrin Ward.  Ward – a recent free-agent acquisition – spent the 2007 season with Milton Keynes helping the Hurricanes earn promotion to the AAA.  Using a quiver of breaking balls and changeups, and targeting his fastball with pinpoint precision, Ward allowed only one earned run and one walk.  While the Arrows managed nine hits, none was for extra bases and eight men were stranded on base.

Goetz and Ward each pitched a complete game and the pair firmly established themselves as a knockout 1-2 punch in the Falcons rotation.  More than any other factor in the Herts' wins was the confidence of their starters.  Both men showed great command and presence on the mound and, moreover, an undaunted delivery with men on base.

Despite some sharp fastballs and nasty curves from their own pitching staff, Essex never captured the momentum and spent the entire day struggling to find a chink in the Falcons' armour.  But the near-perfect Herts defence proved impenetrable… with fine plays by the entire infield including a handful of mile-high pop-ups and a slick 5-4-3 double-play.

The Falcons offence was less impressive.  They managed only three hits in Game One, and it was mistake after mistake from the sloppy Essex infield that allowed the Falcons to take seven runs in the fifth-inning putting the game well out of reach for the struggling Arrows.  Essex committed 12 errors on the day, and each one proved costly.

Next week the Falcons travel to Windsor to face the 2007 fifth-place Bears, where they hope to resurrect their bats and slap some crooked numbers on the scoreboard.

GAME ONE (10am)

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

Herts Falcons 10, Essex Arrows 3
Herts Falcons Essex Arrows
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Lee Manning lf 3 1 0 0 Player 1 p 3 0 0 0
Kimiyoshi Saionji 2b 2 1 0 1 (b5) Sub 1 pr-p 1 0 0 0
Andy Cornish ss 4 0 0 0 Player 2 c 4 0 0 0
Jason Greenberg c 2 1 0 0 Player 3 1b 4 0 0 0
Marty Cullen 1b 4 2 1 1 Player 4 2b 2 0 0 0
Peter Kikel 3b 3 1 1 1 Player 5 3b 2 2 1 0
Dan Kerry cf 3 2 1 0 Player 6 ss 0 1 0 0
Darrin Ward dh 4 1 0 0 Player 7 lf 3 0 2 2
Aspi Dimitrov rf 3 1 0 0 Player 8 cf 2 0 0 1
Nick Goetz p 0 0 0 0 Player 9 rf 3 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 28 10 3 3 TEAM TOTALS 24 3 3 3

E: Andy Cornish, Player 4(3), Player 5(2), Player 6(2). LOB: Essex Arrows 7, Herts
Falcons 8. 2B: Peter Kikel. SB: Peter Kikel, Jason Greenberg, Player 4, Sub 1.

Herts Falcons IP H R ER BB SO
Nick Goetz W 7.00 3 3 3 6 3
Essex Arrows            
Player 1 L 4.67 2 7 2 4 3
Sub 1 1.33 1 3 0 4 0
GAME TWO (12.45pm)

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

Herts Falcons 8, Essex Arrows 2
Herts Falcons Essex Arrows
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Lee Manning lf 2 1 0 1 D. Shack 1b 4 0 1 1
Kimiyoshi Saionji 2b 4 2 3 1 S. Simmons 2b-c 4 0 3 1
Andy Cornish ss 3 1 1 0 C. Porter rf 2 0 0 0
Jason Greenberg c 3 0 0 0 (t5) C. Castro rf 1 0 0 0
Marty Cullen 1b 3 0 0 1 B. Hoience cf 4 0 2 0
Peter Kikel dh 3 1 1 0 A. Bonsor lf 3 0 1 0
Nick Goetz 3b 3 1 1 1 A. Sneasby ss 2 0 0 0
Dan Kerry cf 3 1 1 0 (b5) S. Smith ss 1 0 0 0
Rodney Naghar rf 3 1 2 0 L. Louw p 3 0 1 0
Darrin Ward p 0 0 0 0 A. Clark 3b 3 1 1 0
B. Marchant c 1 0 0 0
(t5) F. Perez 2b 2 1 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 27 8 9 4 TEAM TOTALS 30 2 9 2

E: Andy Cornish, Jason Greenberg, Nick Goetz, L. Louw(2), S. Simmons, D. Shack, A.
Clark. DP: Herts Falcons 1. LOB: Herts Falcons 5, Essex Arrows 8. SB: Kimiyoshi
Saionji(2), Andy Cornish, Rodney Naghar, F. Perez. CS: Peter Kikel. SB: Lee Manning.

Herts Falcons IP H R ER BB SO
Darrin Ward W 7.00 9 2 1 1 2
Essex Arrows            
L. Louw L 6.00 9 8 2 2 5
by AspiDimitrov

BROKEN HERTS: THE ROAD TO REDEMPTION

It feels like an eternity since the Falcons were last in the Premiere League.  The 2006 season started well enough as Herts took an early 3-1 record – good enough for second place in the standings.  What followed was nothing less than disastrous.  The Falcons failed to perform week after week, and a precipitous 13-game losing streak saw Herts slide to 11 games under .500.

No one thing was to blame.  Rather, a combination of weak offence, lackluster pitching, error-laden defence and managerial turnover meant that every Falcon donned his pessimism at some point between buttoning up his jersey and lacing up his cleats.  We simply could do no good.

September brought closure to the losing season… but also a crucial relegation playoff game against the lower division's second place team, the Burgess Hill Colts.  In a dramatic (and all-too-predictable) finale to 2006, Herts took an early lead only to see it squandered by sloppy defensive errors.  In the bottom of the ninth-inning with the game tied at 12, Herts loaded the bases (for the second time that inning), but the Gods were not smiling on Hertfordshire that day and the game-winning run was stranded just 90 feet from home plate.  Burgess Hill's Gary Davison struck out 16 in his complete game win… Herts lost the game 13-12 in 10-innings… and the Falcons were relegated to BBF Division 1.

Defeat was snatched from the jaws of victory.

2007 became a rebuilding year.  Under new management the Falcons retooled, retrained, and recovered from the embarrassment of their demotion.  Weaker opposing pitching and immeasurable defensive strides led to an 18-2 record, a Division 1 Championship, and automatic re-promotion to the newly-christened BBF AAA (formerly the Premiere League).

But the lessons of 2006 have been drilled into our skulls with the force of a 90-mph heater.  Nothing has been taken for granted… and complacency has no quarter.  From mid-January 2008 the Herts Baseball Club has been conditioning, training, and emphasising player development.  Club President Aspi Dimitrov manufactured a Spring Training League – akin to its Cactus and Grapefruit cousins in America – so the Falcons could flex some muscle well before Opening Day.  Dimitrov even invited Herts’ onetime nemeses to take part – the Burgess Hill Colts.

The teams clashed horns in vintage style. Again with Colts hurler Gary Davison on the mound, the Falcons played tug-of-war ushering an 8-8 tie into the final inning.  But this was a new year… and a new team.  The Falcons connected for five runs in the 7th and walked away from the diamond with their heads high and their newfound optimism soundly intact.

Now comes the test of time – the great equaliser in baseball.  Will the Falcons maintain their control and confidence week-in and week-out…?  Can they keep their players healthy and off the disabled list…?  Will they roll with the inevitable punches that undoubtedly lie in store…?  Or will the bitter taste of a single defeat send the squad into an all-too-familiar tailspin from which they cannot recover…?

Yogi Berra said, “If you don't know where you're going, you'll end up somewhere else.”  Ask any Herts player, and he'll tell you that – this year – all roads lead to a winning season.  No bags are packed.  There's no need.  The Falcons plan to stay put.

by AspiDimitrov

ASL EAGLES CLINCH THE 2008 HSL1 TITLE IN DRAMATIC LATE INNING RALLY

The ASL Eagles managed to score five runs in the final inning of the deciding game against the Herts Falcons, coming back from a 5-3 deficit to win the 2008 HSL1 title.  The Eagles did it in dramatic fashion in the final inning of the final game. 

 

Before the game the ASL Eagles and the Herts Falcons were tied at the top of the standings both with 100% records, which meant that the winner was going to be the first ever Herts Spring League champion. 

 

The Falcons scored three runs in the first inning but the Eagles kept in touch with two runs of their own.  Both pitchers settled down after that which made for an exciting game for the purists.  Falcons starter, Darrin Ward, who played his first game after being called up from the Herts Hawks pitched 5+ innings showing great control allowing only 1 walk.  Overall the Falcons pitchers, Ward and Kikel, did not have a single earned run in the whole game. 

 

In the middle of the 6th inning the Falcons were holding on to a slender 5-3 lead.  A combination of 3 hits, a walk and critically 3 errors resulted in 5 runs for the Eagles.  This was a dramatic come back which was met with loud cheers from the bleachers which were packed with Eagles fans.

 

The Falcons had three outs left to try and stay in the game, but the Eagles’ starting pitcher and the strong defence stayed focused and won the game in style.

 

This was a win which the Eagles thoroughly deserved, displaying fine pitching, fielding and hitting.  Congratulations to the ASL Eagles players and coaches and a special thanks to every member of their staff for their hospitality and for hosting a fantastic baseball day. 

 

One play deserves a special mention.  On a hard hit fly ball the Eagles centerfielder made an incredible diving catch.  This was applauded by home and visiting players and fans acknowledging the amazing skill and athleticism required to make such a spectacular play.  The loudest applause actually came from Lee Manning, the Falcons batter who in the process was robbed of a fine hit which would have resulted in a triple or even an inside the park home run if the centerfielder did not execute the play.  If this was an MLB game and the play was captured by ESPN it would have been shown again and again as a candidate for play of the year.

HSL1 Final Standings

More HSL Photos

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

 

ASL 8, Herts Falcons 5
ASL Herts Falcons
ab r h bi ab r h bi
Player 1 p 4 2 3 3 Rodney Naghar rf 3 0 0 0
Player 2 c 4 1 0 0 Lee Manning lf 3 1 0 0
Player 3 1b 4 0 1 1 Kimiyoshi Saionji 2b 4 2 2 0
Player 4 2b 3 1 3 1 Jason Greenberg c 4 2 2 2
Player 5 3b 2 1 1 0 Peter Kikel 3b-p 4 0 2 1
Player 6 ss 3 0 0 0 Marty Cullen 1b 4 0 1 1
Player 7 lf 3 1 2 1 Nick Goetz ss 3 0 0 0
Player 8 cf 2 1 0 0 Aspi Dimitrov cf 3 0 1 0
Player 9 rf 3 1 0 1 Darrin Ward p-3b 3 0 1 0
TEAM TOTALS 28 8 10 7 TEAM TOTALS 31 5 9 4

 

E: Player 6, Player 9, Nick Goetz(2), Jason Greenberg, Peter Kikel, Rodney Naghar.
LOB: ASL 4, Herts Falcons 6. 2B: Player 1(2), Jason Greenberg, Peter Kikel. SB:
Player 9, Player 4, Player 5, Aspi Dimitrov. SB: Player 8.

 

ASL IP H R ER BB SO
Player 1 W 7.33 9 5 1 2 8
Herts Falcons            
Darrin Ward L 5.67 10 8 0 1 3
Peter Kikel 0.33 0 0 0 0 0

 

PB: Player 2(2). T: 2:00. A: 108.

 

by AspiDimitrov

FALCONS TOO STRONG FOR AN IMPROVED NORTHAMPTON TEAM

 

In the first game of the day the Herts Falcons won 15-2 but the score does not tell the full story.  This was a much improved Northampton team from the side which played in the first HSL Sunday.  Some of their key players were back in the lineup and they put up a good fight against the team from Hertfordshire. 

 

13 of the 15 Falcons runs were scored in two of the innings when the Falcons bats really came alive.  7 of those runs were scored in the third inning and all of them came after Northampton had retired 2 batters with no one on base.  The Falcons followed this with 6 hits including a triple by Andy Cornish and a 2-run inside the park home run by Lee Manning.

 

Herts baseball fans will be relieved to learn that Andy Cornish passed through the game without aggravating the shoulder injury which he sustained in a diving play against the Nottingham Thieves last month.  Another positive for the club was the return of Nic Goetz after a week-long flu which had threatened to keep him out of the final HSL games.  He had a good outing on the mound allowing only 2 runs in 4 innings.

 


Northampton at Herts Falcons
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Northampton 0 0 2 0 0 2 5 6
Herts Falcons 2 0 7 6 0 15 11 1

Herts Falcons 15, Northampton 2
Herts Falcons Northampton
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Lee Manning ss 4 3 2 3 Player 1 p 0 1 0 0
Kimiyoshi Saionji 2b 2 3 1 1 (b4) Sub 1 p 1 0 0 0
Jason Greenberg c 3 1 1 1 Player 2 c 3 0 1 0
Peter Kikel 3b 2 1 0 1 Player 3 1b 3 1 1 1
Marty Cullen 1b 2 1 1 1 Player 4 2b 3 0 0 0
Darrin Ward dh 3 2 2 1 Player 5 3b 2 0 2 1
Greg Bochan lf 3 2 1 2 Player 6 ss 1 0 1 0
Rodney Naghar rf 4 1 2 1 Player 7 lf 2 0 0 0
Andy Cornish cf 1 1 1 1 Player 8 cf 2 0 0 0
Nick Goetz p 0 0 0 0 Player 9 rf 2 0 0 0
Aspi Dimitrov p 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 24 15 11 12 TEAM TOTALS 19 2 5 2
E: Lee Manning, Player 3(2), Player 6(2), Player 4, Player 9. LOB: Northampton 5,
Herts Falcons 7. 2B: Jason Greenberg, Greg Bochan, Player 3, Player 5. 3B: Andy
Cornish. HR: Lee Manning. SB: Lee Manning, Greg Bochan, Darrin Ward, Kimiyoshi
Saionji, Player 1(2), Player 5, Player 6, Player 2. SF: Darrin Ward, Peter Kikel.
Herts Falcons IP H R ER BB SO
Nick Goetz W 4.00 5 2 2 3 3
Aspi Dimitrov 1.00 0 0 0 0 2
Northampton            
Player 1 L 3.33 7 12 10 5 0
Sub 1 1.67 4 3 0 2 0
HBP: by Player 1 (Jason Greenberg), by Player 1 (Marty Cullen). , by Player 1 (Andy
Cornish). , by Player 1 (Marty Cullen). . . WP: Player 1. T: 2:00. A: 60.

by AspiDimitrov

RAPTORS, HAWKS AND FALCONS UNVEIL NEW UNIFORMS THIS SUNDAY

After 11 years of wearing the famous Falcons pinstripe jersey and black pants, the club will unveil the new uniforms which will be worn by the three adult teams.  This will take place this Sunday when the Falcons, Hawks and Raptors play in the seond round of games in the Herts Spring League.

The old Falcons pinstripe jersey will still be used by the Herts teams in selected games to celebrate the club's history.

by AspiDimitrov

FALCONS OFF TO A GREAT START IN HSL AS CLUB SAYS FAREWELL TO YUJI ENDO

 

Posted on behalf of Herts Baseball Newswire correspondent, Lee Manning

Yuji Endo is calling it time on his Falcons career on Thursday when he moves back to his homeland of Japan.  Sunday’s opening games of the Herts Spring League were his final games for the club before his departure.  The day turned out to be a very fitting farewell to Yuji who will missed by everyone at Herts Baseball Club.

 

The Herts Falcons started the 2008 HSL with a home game against Northampton.  The newly promoted Falcons jumped out to an early 6-run lead in the first 3 innings.  John Oliver stated on the hill and pitched 3 magnificent shutout innings allowing only 2 hits. The club’s young prospect Pete Kikel came in to relieve Oliver and pitched the final 3 innings striking out 6 batters and once again proving that he can play with the best.  Falcons won the game comfortably 15-3.

 

Northampton at Herts Falcons

Score By Innings

1

2

3

4

5

6

R

H

E

Northampton

0

0

0

2

1

0

3

6

8

Herts Falcons

3

1

2

6

3

0

15

15

0

 

Herts Falcons 15, Northampton 3

Herts Falcons

Northampton

 

ab

r

h

bi

 

ab

r

h

bi

Lee Manning 1b-lf

5

1

2

0

Player 1 p

2

0

0

0

Kimiyoshi Saionji 2b

3

1

0

0

Player 2 c

3

1

0

0

Jason Greenberg c

3

3

3

0

Player 3 1b

2

1

0

0

Peter Kikel 3b-p

4

3

1

1

Player 4 2b

3

1

2

1

Greg Bochan lf-3b

2

3

2

3

Player 5 3b

3

0

1

0

Yuji Endo ss

4

2

3

1

Player 6 ss

3

0

1

1

Aspi Dimitrov cf

3

0

1

0

Player 7 lf

3

0

1

0

Dave Hamilton rf

2

2

1

2

Player 8 cf

1

0

1

1

(t5) Paul Auchterlounie rf

1

0

0

0

Player 9 rf

3

0

0

0

John Oliver p-1b

2

0

2

2

 

 

 

 

 

Bruce Dullea dh

2

0

0

0

 

 

 

 

 

TEAM TOTALS

31

15

15

9

TEAM TOTALS

23

3

6

3

 

E: Player 4(3), Player 6(2), Player 9(2), Player 1. LOB: Northampton 6, Herts Falcons
7. 2B: Jason Greenberg, Peter Kikel, Dave Hamilton. SB: Greg Bochan(3), Kimiyoshi
Saionji(2), Yuji Endo(2), Jason Greenberg, Lee Manning, Player 4, Player 2, Player 8.
SB: Aspi Dimitrov.

 

Herts Falcons

IP

H

R

ER

BB

SO

John Oliver W

3.00

2

0

0

0

2

Peter Kikel

3.00

4

3

3

2

6

Northampton

 

 

 

 

 

 

Player 1 L

5.00

15

15

8

5

5

 

HBP: by Peter Kikel (Player 1). , by Peter Kikel (Player 8). WP: Player 1(2). PB:
Player 2(4). T: 2:00. A: 65.

 

by AspiDimitrov

FALCONS WIN BATTLE WITH OLD RIVALS BURGESS HILL

 

(continued)

Article posted on behalf of Herts Baseball Newswire correspondent, Lee Manning

 

The second game of the day for the Falcons was against Premier League rivals Burgess Hill Redhats.  The Redhats are the team that relegated the Falcons in the 2006 playoffs.  This was an opportunity for payback for the Falcons. Against Great Britain National Team Pitcher, Gary Davison, the Falcons were looking to get an early lead.  First up was veteran Lee Manning who ripped a 0-2 outside pitch to the right field and slide safely into 3rd base.  Manning scored off a sack fly from Kimiyoshi Saionji setting the standard for the rest of the afternoon.  Aspi Dimitrov pitched 3 innings before handing the ball to Bruce Dullea with a 6-5 lead, but bases loaded and no one out in the 4th.  Dullea then got the next three batters out in superb style without giving up a single run.  After Dullea’s 2 innings, Yuji Endo took to the mount with the game tied at 8-8 to pitch the last 2 innings.  He showed great control and great pop to keep the Redhats quite.  The Falcons started hitting the ball hard and everyone played great defence which was helped by Manning doing an over the shoulder catch but only to be outdone by former Falcons player now playing for the Hawks, Paul Auchterlounie, sprinting 40ft to chase down a hard hit drive to centerfield for the play of the day.  Falcons won the game 13-9.  Yuji Endo picked up the Win.

 

Manger Jason Greenburg must be having a hard time on who to play where and when but has the next two weeks looking at players who are all fighting for a starting spot. Every Falcon player showed that they wanted to win the games and hope to keep this going forward next week when they play at the AmericanSchool Of London.

 

Hitter of the day:  Jason Greenberg going 7-7 

Pitcher of the day:  John Oliver

Play of the day:  Paul Auchterlounie making a great catch on his horse in Centerfield.

Moment of the game: Bruce Dullea inheriting a bases loaded jam, no outs to shut down the Redhats not allowing any runs and preserving the 1-run lead.

 

Herts Falcons at Burgess Hill Colts

Score By Innings

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

R

H

E

Herts Falcons

1

0

3

2

2

0

5

13

19

2

Burgess Hill Colts

1

0

3

1

3

0

1

9

11

3

 

Herts Falcons 13, Burgess Hill Colts 9

Herts Falcons

Burgess Hill Colts

 

ab

r

h

bi

 

ab

r

h

bi

Lee Manning ss

5

2

2

0

Player 1 p

2

2

0

1

Kimiyoshi Saionji 2b

4

2

2

1

Player 2 c

5

1

1

0

Jason Greenberg c

4

2

4

1

Player 3 1b

4

3

2

3

Peter Kikel 3b

4

1

2

4

Player 4 2b

3

1

1

0

Greg Bochan cf-rf

4

1

2

1

Player 5 3b

2

0

1

1

(b3) Paul Auchterlounie cf

3

1

1

0

Player 6 ss

3

1

2

2

Yuji Endo lf-p

4

2

2

0

Player 7 lf

3

1

1

0

Bruce Dullea dh-p-rf

4

1

2

1

Player 8 cf

3

0

2

0

John Oliver 1b

4

0

1

0

Player 9 rf

3

0

1

1

Dave Hamilton rf-lf

4

1

2

2

 

 

 

 

 

Aspi Dimitrov p-rf

0

0

0

0

 

 

 

 

 

TEAM TOTALS

39

13

19

9

TEAM TOTALS

28

9

11

8

 

E: Lee Manning, Aspi Dimitrov, Player 1, Player 3, Player 5. LOB: Herts Falcons 10,
Burgess Hill Colts 12. 2B: Peter Kikel, Kimiyoshi Saionji, Bruce Dullea. 3B: Lee
Manning, Jason Greenberg. HR: Player 3. SB: Yuji Endo(3), Jason Greenberg, Bruce
Dullea, Dave Hamilton, Player 1(2), Player 6, Player 8. CS: Player 8. SB: Peter
Kikel.

 

Herts Falcons

IP

H

R

ER

BB

SO

Aspi Dimitrov

3.00

3

5

3

12

5

Bruce Dullea

2.00

5

3

3

1

0

Yuji Endo W

2.00

3

1

1

1

2

Burgess Hill Colts

 

 

 

 

 

 

Player 1 L

7.00

19

13

9

4

7

 

WP: Aspi Dimitrov(2), Player 1(3). PB: Jason Greenberg(3), Player 2. T: 2:00. A: 65.