Category: Hawks

by AspiDimitrov

FALCONS SINK SHARKS, CLINCH PLAYOFF BERTH

[ FALCONS/SHARKS: GAME 1 BOX SCORE ]
[ FALCONS/SHARKS: GAME 2 BOX SCORE ]

[ VIEW THE PHOTO GALLERY ]

The Herts Falcons used an impressive offensive barrage to sweep the Bournemouth Sharks by scores of 13-7 and 13-3, clinching the D1A Pennant.

Bournemouth came into the game with the league’s best defence, giving up an average of only 2.5 runs per game.  The Falcons jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the first inning of Game 1.  They were patient at the plate, drawing four walks and they were also aided by two Bournemouth errors. They increased the margin to 9-0 in the second inning.  The five runs were sandwiched around two singles, two walks, and three Shark errors. Bournemouth fought back in the fourth inning, scoring 5 runs on five singles and two walks.  The Falcons were able to escape without any further damage.

Kim Saoinji hit his 3rd home run in the top of the 7th, and the Falcons defence closed it out for a 13-7 victory. The Falcons had nine hits, with Lee Manning leading the team with two.  Catcher Jason Greenberg also had two RBI’s.

In the second game, Nic Goetz was very impressive with a complete game two hitter.  Goetz picked up his fourth victory of the year, and had good control, with only 2 walks and 1 strikeout. The Falcons bats came alive in the first inning, with 4 runs on six hits, including doubles by Lee Manning and Andy Cornish.

They increased their margin to 9-0 in the 2nd.   With one out and the bases loaded, Jason Greenberg hit the teams first Grand Slam HR, and his fourth of the year. The Falcons essentially put the game away in the 3rd as they built up a 12-0 lead.  The first four batters reached base and three runners scored.

The Sharks threatened in the bottom of the fifth with three runs, but rookie right fielder Dan Kerry made a fine catch on a hard hit ball to end the game. The Falcons had 14 hits, including a 3 for 3 performance by Greenberg, who scored 4 runs and added 5 RBI.

With the win, the Falcons qualified for the post season Final 4 and are also in a position to earn promotion to the Premiere League, where they formerly played in 2005-2006. The team closes out the regular season this Sunday with a home game against Bournemouth.  Tickets are available, and can be purchased either online or by calling 1-800-GOFALCONS.

[ HAWKS/PANTHERS: GAME 1 BOX SCORE ]
[ HAWKS/PANTHERS: GAME 2 BOX SCORE ]

The Herts Hawks had a battle for second place in the division with their direct rivals – the Shropshire Panthers.

The first game started badly for the Hawks and went downhill from there – starter Pete Kikel had trouble hitting the strike zone, and when he did, the Panthers managed to either hit it between the fielders or bloop it beyond the reach of the infield. Defensive heroics by catcher Jake Kikel, who was hard-pressed to block the large number of wild pitches but still managed to throw out a runner at second base, did not change the situation. Offensively, the Hawks struggled with the breaking stuff of starter Ashley Rogers, and when they managed to put together several hits in one inning, the Panthers piled on the runs in the next. Overall, a performance that literally anthropomorphizes the saying “there is nowhere to go but up from here”.

The second game was much tighter – Hawks starter Larry Martillo, after allowing an early 4-run lead to the Panthers, managed to hold the game from blowing completely open. However, the Hawks bats continued to be mainly silent – excepting the stellar hitting performance of Ross Davies who went 4-for-4 and the very respectable 2-for-2 of Pete Kikel and Larry Martillo. However, the lack of hitting was compounded by somewhat lackadaisical base-running, which saw several Hawks being picked off or caught off the bases. Despite a late surge in the 7th inning, the Hawks went down 8 – 4.

by AspiDimitrov

HAWKS BROUGHT DOWN BY HURRICANES

[ HAWKS/HURRICANES BOX SCORE: GAME ONE ]
[ HAWKS/HURRICANES BOX SCORE: GAME TWO ]

The Herts Hawks were unable to cause an upset against the Division One leaders from Milton Keynes. The Hurricanes won both games in Sunday’s double header and as a result are assured of a place in the Premier League promotion Playoffs.

The first game saw the return to the mound of Hawks’ young prospect, Peter Kikel, with 7 K’s in 3 innings. He had a very satisfactory outing re-establishing the Kikel-Battery with catcher and father, Jake Kikel, who said: “Peter is back to 100% fitness. He will only need to get over the psychological barrier of holding back after his shoulder problems.” Mark Hoffmann also had a good outing in relief for Peter Kikel. It was largely due to the precision-pitching of Milton Keynes ace, Darrin Ward that the Hawks were left without hope of catching up. The only Hertfordshire player who had any real success hitting against Ward was the rookie, Jonathon Lewys with a double and a triple.

In the second game the Hurricanes took an early lead of 6-0 threatening another blow-out win, but the Hawks came back strongly. 2 runs in the 3rd inning reduced the lead. In the 4th, with runner on first, up stepped debutant, Dan Kerry. Despite having played rugby, cricket and other sports, Dan had never actually played a game of baseball before today. He took a high first pitch which was surprisingly called a strike by the umpire. The second pitch was a hard fastball which hit him directly in his protective cup, and yet the umpire ruled this to be a strike as in an effort to get out of the way Kerry could not check his swing. Following such a violent and loud bang of the ball hitting his protective cup, an experienced baseball player would have been expected instinctively to roll on the ground requesting medical attention in the knowledge that this was a very serious incident which could have resulted in a severe injury. Instead, Kerry maintained a cool composure with a face expression which appeared to send a message to the pitcher saying: “This is strike two. You need to throw one more strike if you want to get me out. Throw the ball again.”

And then the inconceivable happened. The third pitch was a hard fastball up in the zone and with a smooth Tiger Woods-like swing, Kerry launched the ball deep beyond the outfield wall in the deepest part of Grovehill Ballpark in left-centerfield for a towering Home Run. The Hawks’ bench and fans erupted, realizing the magnitude of what they had just witnessed. Dan Kerry’s baseball inexperience was obvious when he rounded the bases to come home in record time when most MLB stars would have taken their time to savour the moment.

He was greeted at home plate not only by the whole Herts Hawks squad but also by a number of Hawks fans who had somehow made their way onto the field. In accordance with baseball tradition the home run ball was taken out of the game and passed onto Dan Kerry.

This two-run shot reduced the Hurricanes’ lead to only one run, but eventually this was not enough and the Hurricanes ended up winning the game 12-7.

by AspiDimitrov

HERTS BESTS RICHMOND RIVERDOGS

[ HAWKS/RIVERDOGS BOX SCORE: GAME ONE ]
[ HAWKS/RIVERDOGS BOX SCORE: GAME TWO ]

Herts Hawks played a double header against the Richmond Riverdogs on Sunday, 29 July. Due to scheduling congestion, the game was played at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead instead of Richmond’s Connaire Field, with the Riverdogs being the home team.

The first game was an extremely tight affair that went into extra innings. The two pitchers, Larry Martillo for the Hawks, and Per Nilsson Eklof for the Riverdogs shared the “good” and “bad” times more or less equally. The Hawks had a 9-0 lead until the bottom of the 4th, when Richmond suddenly put together a string of timely hits (aided by some less than outstanding fielding by the Hawks), and at the end of that inning, the score was suddenly only 9-7 for the Hawks. Martillo bore down and was able to minimize the further damage, but the Riverdogs managed to score two more runs in the next couple of innings, while Per Nilsson completely shut down the Hawks offense. This brought the game into extra innings, and with a runner on second, Rob Jones stepped up with a great hit down the middle to bring in Jon Lewys, which gave Hawks the lead going into the bottom of the 8th inning. This is when the Hawks defense and the outstanding Martillo proved their mettle, leaving two of the Riverdogs runners at 2nd and 3rd base without allowing them to score to win the game.

The second game started well for the Riverdogs, who had a 5-2 lead going into the top of the 3rd. However, an 11 run inning by the Hawks batters put them ahead and they never looked back. The Hawks were trying to finish that long day on a high note, and were able to do it in the form of an unassisted double play by shortstop Ross Davies with the bases loaded and nobody out. The Hawks won the second game with a score of 19 to 7.

by AspiDimitrov

FALCONS GO 2-1-1 AT ANNUAL LONDON TOURNAMENT

The Herts Falcons put on a performance this weekend which almost resembled Cincinnati’s “Big Red Machine” of the 1970s. The team battled through two days of gruelling baseball action to come out with an overall record of 2 wins, 1 loss and 1 draw (time limit).

The International London Tournament has been Great Britain’s biggest baseball annual event for many years. This year there were 16 teams taking part from all around the UK, France and Ireland. 12 of the 16 teams were either in the National League or the Premier League so prior to the event it was fair to say that the Falcons were ranked outsiders. They were also drawn in the most difficult group with the reigning British National League Champions, the Richmond Flames, 2004 and 2005 Champions, the Croydon Pirates, and the 2003 Champions, the Windsor Bears.

The Herts team was a combined squad of Herts Falcons and Herts Hawks players, the two Hertfordshire teams.

In the first game, the Falcons faced the Richmond Flames, and despite a valiant effort, were overwhelmed by Richmond’s pitching and hitting.

The second game proved to be the main event of the day – the Falcons hosted the Windsor bears at the Central Field. The game was played in front of a large audience and had the added benefit of the field PA system, which gave a “Major League” feel. The actual game met and exceeded the fans’ expectations. The Falcons took a firm 4-0 lead, which they took into the 5th inning. However, starting pitcher Aspi Dimitrov was visibly running out of steam, despite leaving the game with a no-hitter for 4 and a 1/3 innings.

Reliever, Lee Manning, came in at a very short notice and performed magnificently to minimize the damage of the two runners left on by Dimitrov. Despite his efforts, the Bears fought tirelessly, driving in 6 runs in the 5th and 6th innings to take a 1-run lead and set up a “grand finale” in the bottom of the 6th. Two singles from Lee Manning and Yuji Endo put both the tying and winning runs on base. Up stepped slugger Marty Cullen, with the eyes of the crowd agog with anticipation. His massive line drive to the left field fence brought the winning run in to end this “classic”, and the crowd erupted.

This win earned the Falcons the coveted 11 o’clock start, avoiding the often (and with good reason) maligned 9:00 am start (under the stringent disciplinarian regime instituted by caretaker manager Jason Greenberg, that would have meant reporting for duty at the field at 7:30 am).

The razzmatazz culminated in the Home Run Derby on day one, which involved sluggers from each of the participating teams. The Falcons representative was hard-hitting Kimiyoshi Saionji, the Falcons’ very own Hideki Matsui. He was able to go through to the second round, and only some sudden wind gusts and dodgy last-minute manipulation of the home plate positioning (to favour righties), robbed him of a place in the final round of the 2007 Home Run Derby. The Falcons management are mulling over submitting an official complaint for the loss of the substantial sums that could have been generated from potential (however unlikely) t-shirt sales and other commercial opportunities.

On the second day, the Falcons faced the Great Britain Juniors (Under 18’s National Team) and the Great Britain Cadets (Under 16’s National Team). In the first game the Falcons held a good lead to the end, only for some clutch GB Junior hitting to tie the game and, due to the time limit rule in force in the tournament, the game ended in a 6-6 draw. This was the worst possible scenario for both teams, as they damaged each others’ chances of winning the trophy.

In the second game versus the GB Cadets, manager Greenberg was able to deploy a squad made up predominantly of Herts Hawks players. The future stars of Great Britain baseball performed creditably and were able to pull back from trailing at the beginning of the game to tie it up in the 5th. However, an astute managerial decision was made to bring in closer, Yuji “Lights Out” Endo, who came in and ended all hopes of a GB Cadets come-back. He struck out 5 batters in his 2 and 1/3 innings of pitching.

The Tournament Final was between the Richmond Flames and the Milton Keynes Hurricanes, with Richmond ending up as the 2007 London Tournament winners. The Frank Brady Trophy went to the Essex Arrows, mainly due to the masterful performance of former Falcon, Paul Raybould.

All in all, this was a great tournament for the Herts Falcons, who now have to put their minds back on the vital remaining League games of the season with promotion to the Premier League at stake

Disclaimer: Any resemblance between the Herts Falcons and the Cincinnati Reds, whether implied in this article or otherwise, is purely coincidental.

by AspiDimitrov

GRITTY DISPLAY BY HAWKS NOT ENOUGH AGAINST SHARKS

[ HAWKS/SHARKS BOX SCORE: GAME ONE ]
[ HAWKS/SHARKS BOX SCORE: GAME TWO ]

The Hawks are fast gaining the reputation as the gutsy underdogs of Division 1. They were no match for the Premier League promotion hopefuls from Bournemouth, but they did not go down without a fight.

For a second week in a roll visitors to the Herts Baseball Club website will be astonished to find out that the Hertfordshire club has once again managed to overcome the extreme effects of “climate change” while the rest of the country finds itself underwater.

Going into this game, the Hawks’ underdog status was compounded by the fact that the squad was seriously depleted, with some key players like Dave Hamilton, Carlos Casal, Rodney Naghar and Ross Davies being sidelined.

The score line from the two games may suggest that this was a mismatch, which was true in Game 2, but the Hawks did not look out of place in Game 1 versus Bournemouth’s ace pitcher, Ben Moody. He managed to shut down the Hawks’ offence allowing only 2 runs on 2 hits, with a nasty fastball-curveball combination but he met his match in the Hawks ERA leader, Larry Martillo. Sharks bats have been punishing their opponents all season long, but Martillo kept them at bay, pitching 5 good innings until the Sharks put the game out of the Hawks’ reach in the sixth inning.

A lot was expected of Hawks starter, Aspi Dimitrov, in Game 2 but disappointingly he struggled badly and the Sharks took full advantage, winning convincingly.

Despite facing some of the toughest pitchers in the League, Pete Kikel and Kal Dimitrov did not seem to be fazed by this and managed to hit the ball hard, Pete Kikel (4-5, 2RBI), Kal Dimitrov (3-3, 2B, 2RBI). Kal Dimitrov has now jumped above Chantal Gerrard and leads the Herts Hawks in batting average (.583), slugging (.667), on-base % (.615) and RBIs (6).

A disappointing result for the Herts Hawks not only because mathematically this puts them almost out of the Premier League promotion race, but also because they could not help out the other Hertfordshire team, the Herts Falcons, by taking a win out of their direct rivals.

by AspiDimitrov

FEMALE STAR INSPIRES HAWKS TO VICTORY

[ BOX SCORE ]

GAME REPORT (by Dave Hamilton): Chantal Gerrard, playing in only her second league game, was the batting hero(ine) for the Herts Hawks as they completed a dramatic 3-2 victory over the Richmond Riverdogs on Sunday. Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Hawks were facing an agonising defeat after their strongest defensive display of the year. However, Richmond were unable to get the final three outs as Chantal drove in the Hawk's winning run with a single down the third base line.

The Hawks were keen to build on the potential shown in the previous week's grudge match against the Falcons and provided some solid defence to back up a strong pitching performance from the rejuvinated Larry Martillo. However, Richmond pitcher Per Nilsson was also doing a fine job of keeping the Hawks hitters off balance and did not concede a hit in the first five innings as the Riverdogs clung to a 1-0 lead.

Chantal's lead-off single and some aggressive baserunning from player-manager Jake Kikel helped the Hawks draw level in the sixth inning, only for Richmond to edge ahead once more by scoring a run of their own in the seventh.

Embroiled in the pitching duel, both defences kept up the pressure and although a more patient approach at the plate saw the Hawks threaten to score in both the seventh and eighth innings, their hitters couldn't quite find the clutch hit they so desperately needed and runners were left stranded at second and third base to set up the nailbiting finish.

Trailing 2-1, rookie outfielder Jonathan Lewys led off the ninth inning with a walk before being forced out at second base on Larry Martillo's ground ball, and pinch-hitter Paul Auchterlonie (a late replacement for Carlos Casal who had suffered a serious looking leg injury five minutes earlier in the field) then hit a one-out single to right field to put the tying run on third base. Mark Hoffman's ground ball was good enough to tie the scores and set the scene for Chantal Gerrard to drive in the game-winning run with her second hit of the game.

The win lifts the Hawks record for the season to 3 wins and 4 losses, but the loss was tough on the Riverdogs who battled hard in a very tight ballgame. The Hawks now have a week off to work on their hitting before two games with Bournemouth on July 1st. Based on today's performance, they could do worse than learning to hit like a girl!!!

by AspiDimitrov

FIRST-EVER FALCONS-HERTS SHOWDOWN A GRAND CLUB SUCCESS

[ PHOTO GALLERY ]

[ GAME 1 BOX SCORE ]
[ GAME 2 BOX SCORE ]

GAME REPORT (by Ross Davies): The Herts Falcons won the battle of the birds, as they took both games against the newly-christened Herts Hawks in an historic occasion for the club. It was the first game between the two Hemel Hempstead-based sides since the club branched into two teams, and experience told on the day as the Falcons swept the Hawks in the double-header.

The Falcons, playing as hosts, took the initiative early on in the first game, as they raced into an early lead. Bruce Dullea, on the mound, was pitching consistently, and the home side’s bats fired from the off against the Hawks’ Larry Martillo to open up a sizeable deficit. Mark Hoffman came on to stem the flow of runs, but some excellent batting, most notably from Andy Cornish, who finished 3-for-3 with five RBIs, meant a premature ending to the first game as the slaughter rule came into play after five innings.

The Hawks would have been forgiven for letting their heads drop for the second game, but that wasn’t the case as Aspi Dmitrov took to the mound and pitched like a man possessed. Going into the fourth inning the game was tied at three each, and the Hawks were in with a real shout of an upset. However, a combination of poor batting and basic fielding errors cost them dear, and the Falcons capitalised, rattling off seven runs in two innings to put the game to bed.

In truth, the second game gave glimpses of what the Hawks were capable of, and there would have been the odd nervous moment in the home camp when the scores were level. But the efficient batting and faultless fielding proved the difference in the end, in particular from new shortstop Yuji Endo, whose athleticism was enough to lift the team on its own.

by AspiDimitrov

HERTS DERBY – THE TWO MANAGERS – Q&A

Hertfalcons.co.uk managed to get a quick Q&A with the two managers before the weekend clash between the Falcons and the Hawks.

 

Q: Your prediction for the score of the two games?

 

Bruce Dullea A:

We'll win both games, 9-6 & 10-8.

 

Paul Auchterlounie A:

Whilst I hate to make predictions, I think that Falcons will win game 1, with a score of 11-5. Hawks will bounce back and take game 2, 9-6.

 

Q: Key player from your team?

 

Bruce Dullea A:

Yuji has made our infield defense very strong.  He's a key.

 

Paul Auchterlounie A:

I have many players who could be deemed as key players – those in the infield and the outfield, batting 1-9. If I had to pick 1 it would, I think, have to be Larry Martillo. The strong batting lineup of Falcons needs to be quieted, and I feel that Larry has the experience and guile to bewitch them at the plate, provided the ump knows where the strike zone is.

 

Q: Most feared player from the opponents' team?

 

Bruce Dullea A:

We don't fear anyone, but respect all of the Hawks players.  Larry gave us trouble in the Kyle Hunlock Series and is a leader on and off the field for the Hawks. 

 

Paul Auchterlounie A:

Sometimes, stats don't mean ****. However, currently leading the Falcons is one of their Japanese import players, Kimiyoshi Saionji. He can hit to either field, is quick around the bases and pulls off great plays with the glove. Others to watch for are Andy Cornish (who can be a little suspect with fly balls at the fence!) and the left side of the infield – it'll need a very sharply hit ball to get through there.

 

Q: If you could have one MLB player play for your team this weekend who would it be?

 

Bruce Dullea A:

Barry Zito

 

Paul Auchterlounie A:

I was going to go for Ryan Howard, reigning National League MVP. He's on a hot hitting streak right now, can go either way and with the short (by MLB standards) fence the balls will just keep on flying. However, Falcons would probably kill the game and just pitch round him to get to the next batter. So with the intention of quieting the Falcons lineup, I've decided to go for a pitcher – Jake Peavy. 2nd in the majors in ERA and leads the majors in strikeouts he should be a good matchup for the predominantly right handed lineup of the Falcons. He'll set the table nicely for Martillo to come in and finish off!!

 

Q: A short message which you want to give to your opponents.

 

Bruce Dullea A:

(Note: Bruce will come back a little later on this particular point.  He is probably referring to Sun Tzu's “The Art of War” for inspiration)

 

Paul Auchterlounie A:“There are only 5 things that you can do in baseball – run, throw, catch, hit and hit with power. It's a pity the Falcons can't do any of them”. Leo Durocher.  (Ok, so I adlibbed a bit with the quote.)

by AspiDimitrov

PA’L CARAJO

Hertfalcons.co.uk have received a large number of enquiries about the meaning of the video message in Spanish from Hawks slugger, Carlos Casal.  We have managed to make contact with the Venezuelan RBI Machine who took time to clarify this matter.


The expression “Pa’l carajo” is largely used in South America and CaribbeanIslands to express anger (To hell) or surprise (What the hell?) towards something or someone. The contraction (Grammar) Pa’l is a composition of “Para” = To and “El” = The, and “Carajo” can be used, in popular language, as Faraway, Hell or Splendid.Latin American baseball players use this expression when they send or are going to send the ball faraway (Long home run); or to give the opponent a very hard time in the game.