Category: Adult Leagues
FAULTLESS FALCONS EXTEND WINNING STREAK
Report by Herts Baseball Newswire reporter, ROD NAGHAR
This Sunday's double header was played against the Windsor Bears whom the Falcons last met at the Croydon Tournament last summer which ended in a Falcons win. The game was played at Grovehill, Falcons home ground, where things got off to a wet start as the heavens unleashed a 2 hour rainstorm before play could begin. The Falcons were on a 2 win opening streak, characterised by a very strong defense but weaker offence – something Manager Jason Greenberg was looking to improve upon.
Starting Pitcher Nick Goetz (1-0, 3.86 ERA) took the mound for the Falcons after his win the previous week, but got off to a shaky start giving up 1 walk and 4 singles. However, the solid Falcon's infield laid to rest any Windsor hopes for an early rout, and with a strong final K from Goetz, Windsor only managed a 1 run lead.
Hopes were raised for a stronger Falcons offense to dispell nay-sayers that they were a purely defensive side. In the bottom of the first, those hopes were exceeded when 7 runs were scored, achieved by a combination of big hits and some Windsor infielding errors. At that point Windsor's weak infield began a trend, which progressed to be the norm by the end of the day.
Unfortunately, to manager Greenberg's chagrin, the Falcon's offence then reverted to type, and most of their remaining runs were achieved though Windsor errors.
Nevertheless, spurred on by the big early lead, Nick Goetz went on to pitch superbly, shutting out the Bears until the 5th inning where he gave up 2 back to back single home-runs. However, by that stage the score was 10-1 to the Falcons and it didn't affect his form.
The game ended 11-3 to the Falcons, with pitcher Peter Kikel (a promoted Hawks player) confidently closing out the final inning.
The Falcon's made no fielding errors during the game, and with an excellent Bullpen, had little to fear from the Windsor side.
The second game began where the last game ended, this time with Darrin Ward (1-0, 1.29 ERA) at the mound for the Falcons. He opened with 3ks giving up only 1 walk and 1 hit, which proved to be one of the better Windsor offensive innings.
A trickle of runs came from the Falcons until the 4th, where a combination of a tiring Windsor pitcher and further infield errors led to 5 runs and an 8-0 lead. The demoralised Windsor side came back the next inning with a last ditch attempt to get some runs on the board, but managed only 3 hits with no runs.
The game ended 10-0 to the Falcons.
Much praise must go to Darrin Ward who had another incredible appearance at the mound shutting out the struggling Windsor side, putting 7ks under his belt, and only giving up 2 walks the whole game.
Today the Falcons proved that their impressive opening wins against Essex was no fluke. Their staggering pitching staff and impenetrable defensive lineup, justifying their promotion from the 1st division yet again. With no defensive errors in either games, an impressive win followed by a shut out, no team in the AAA can possibly look forward to playing them.
Next week the Falcons play at home against Baseball Milton Keynes. That is the time the Falcons hope to finally dismiss the batting drought which they find themsleves in, which will undoubtedly position them as the force to be reckoned with in this years hotly contested AAA division.
GAME 1
| Windsor Bears at Herts Falcons | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score By Innings | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
| Windsor Bears | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 6 |
| Herts Falcons | 7 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 6 | 0 |
| Herts Falcons 11, Windsor Bears 3 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herts Falcons | Windsor Bears | ||||||||
| ab | r | h | bi | ab | r | h | bi | ||
| Lee Manning lf | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | Player 1 cf | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kimiyoshi Saionji 2b | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | Player 2 c | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Andy Cornish ss | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | Player 3 ss | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Jason Greenberg c | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Player 4 3b | 4 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| Peter Kikel 3b-p | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Player 5 1b | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Dan Kerry cf | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | Player 6 p | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Darrin Ward 1b | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | Player 7 2b | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nick Goetz p-3b | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | Player 8 lf | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Rodney Naghar rf | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Player 9 rf | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TEAM TOTALS | 25 | 11 | 6 | 8 | TEAM TOTALS | 29 | 3 | 9 | 3 |
| E: Player 3(3), Player 7(2), Player 4. DP: Windsor Bears 1. LOB: Herts Falcons 4, Windsor Bears 8. 2B: Kimiyoshi Saionji(2), Andy Cornish. HR: Player 3, Player 4. SB: Kimiyoshi Saionji(2), Nick Goetz, Player 2. CS: Lee Manning. SB: Peter Kikel. |
| Herts Falcons | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| Nick Goetz W | 6.00 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Peter Kikel | 1.00 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Windsor Bears | ||||||
| Player 6 L | 6.00 | 6 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 5 |
| HBP: by Player 6 (Dan Kerry). . . . . . . WP: Nick Goetz, Player 6(2). PB: Player 2. T: 2:30. A: 50. |
GAME 2
| Windsor Bears at Herts Falcons | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score By Innings | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | R | H | E |
| Windsor Bears | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 4 |
| Herts Falcons | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 10 | 7 | 0 |
| Herts Falcons 10, Windsor Bears 0 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herts Falcons | Windsor Bears | ||||||||
| ab | r | h | bi | ab | r | h | bi | ||
| Lee Manning 1b | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Player 1 p | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Kimiyoshi Saionji 2b | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | Player 2 c | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Andy Cornish ss | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | Player 3 1b | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Dan Kerry cf | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Player 4 2b | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Jason Greenberg c | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Player 5 3b | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nick Goetz 3b | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Player 6 ss | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Darrin Ward p | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | Player 7 lf | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Aspi Dimitrov lf | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Player 8 cf | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rodney Naghar rf | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Player 9 rf | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TEAM TOTALS | 22 | 10 | 7 | 5 | TEAM TOTALS | 20 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| E: Player 6(3), Player 4. LOB: Herts Falcons 6, Windsor Bears 7. 2B: Andy Cornish, Player 2, Player 7. SB: Lee Manning(2), Kimiyoshi Saionji, Dan Kerry. CS: Player 1. SB: Aspi Dimitrov. |
| Herts Falcons | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| Darrin Ward W | 5.00 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 |
| Windsor Bears | ||||||
| Player 1 L | 4.33 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 1 |
| PB: Jason Greenberg. T: 2:30. A: 50. |
(VIDEO) HERT-BREAK FOR RAPTORS
Video highlights created by Raptors Manager, JAKE KIKEL
| Herts Raptors at Essex Arrows | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score By Innings | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Herts Raptors | 3 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 19 | ||
| Essex Arrows 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 20 | ||
Going into the bottom of the 8th inning Herts Raptors could smell their first win of the season. An 8-run lead was exactly what the Raptors wanted at such a late stage of the game against local rivals Essex Arrows.
But then the Raptors suffered a collapse which could even rival the Herts Hawks collapse against
In the top of the 9th manager Jake Kikel managed to rally his troops again putting 4 runs on the board and once again taking a lead, 19-17. The pressure was on. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be for Hertfordshire newest league team – they lost 19-20.
Despite the demoralising loss, the team can take a lot of positives from this game. The Raptors’ bats are really coming along. The pitching and defence showed improvement from the previous game with some outstanding plays from Hunter Devine, Andrew Slater and catcher Andy Ringrose. Rod Ariss and
The team will need to pick themselves up quickly and start again next Sunday on the Road at the Braintree Rays. The Raptors are hoping to have several key players return for that game, including Mark Hoffman,
HAWKS WIN AGAIN. GONCALVES HITS FIRST HERTS HOMER OF 2008.
Posted on behalf of Herts Newswire Correspondent, DAVE HAMILTON
The Hertfordshire Hawks extended their winning start to the season on Sunday, putting in another strong defensive performance to defeat the Brentwood Stags 6-3 and retain their place on top of the British AA League standings.
In a game that had a little of everything, including disputed umpiring calls and a rain delay, it was a three-run home run by Humberto Goncalves that ultimately made the difference and drove the Hawks to another hard-fought victory.
Manager Carlos Casal praised the team performance saying “we have a strong squad this year and we’re playing some good aggressive baseball. It’s still early and we have a few things to work on in training but it’s great to start the season with two wins.”
The Hawks knew they would be in for a tough contest, travelling to a Brentwood side who had beaten the hotly tipped Bournemouth Sharks in their season opener. However, they managed to keep the same defensive discipline they had produced in their first game, and the score remained at 1-1 after four innings.
That is not to say the game was what baseball afficionados would call a ‘pitching duel’ as both sides managed to consistently threaten only to have their chances snuffed out at the crucial moment. Hawks pitcher John Oliver showed composure under pressure to keep the Stags off the scoreboard, ably supported by some solid infield defense, with the Hawks showing the benefits of their more intensive pre-season training to turn two double plays in the early innings.
Despite the low score the game was proving very eventful, with players from both sides questioning some debatable umpiring decisions, and several runners being caught out on the base paths. The most surprised of these was Oliver, who expected his hit to be caught, only for two Stags outfielders to collide and miss the ball. Looking to capitalise on this mistake, he raced for second base but was then thrown out by a perfect throw from the recovering fielder.
The Stags edged into a 3-1 lead in the fifth inning but this finally stirred the Hawks’ struggling offense into life. With two outs, Ross Asquith used his speed to turn a weakly hit ball into a run scoring single and cut the gap to one. This brought Humberto Concalves to the plate, who blasted the ball over the left field fence for the Hawks first home run of the year, much to the delight of the vociferous travelling supporters.
Now holding a 5-3 lead, Hawks’ relief pitcher Stuart Boast kept the Stags at bay as Brentwood remained unable to find the crucial hit with runners in scoring position. The Hawks added an insurance run in the eighth inning, before a rain delay threatened to bring the game to a premature end. Luckily though the April shower abated and the Hawks retained their focus to close out the victory.
The Hawks now travel to play regular rivals the Richmond Dragons over the Bank Holiday weekend. Looking forward to the encounter, catcher Kal Dimitrov commented “they gave us some tough games last year, so it will be tricky but hopefully we can get the bats going and score a few more runs”. The Herts Manager is certain to be urging his hitters to go on the offensive as the Hawks look to avenge their pre-season defeat and extend their unbeaten run.
| Herts Hawks at Brentwood | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score By Innings | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Herts Hawks | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 12 | 3 |
| Brentwood | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 4 |
| Herts Hawks 6, Brentwood 3 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herts Hawks | Brentwood | ||||||||
| ab | r | h | bi | ab | r | h | bi | ||
| Ross Asquith rf | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | Player 1 p | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Humberto Goncalves 2b | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | Player 2 c | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| John Oliver p | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | Player 3 1b | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| (b5) Stuart Boast p | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Player 4 2b | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Louis Hare 1b | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Player 5 3b | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| (t1) Carlos Casal 3b | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Player 6 ss | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kal Dimitrov 3b-c | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | Player 7 lf | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Luis Goncalves ss | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Player 8 cf | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tim Elkins lf | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Player 9 rf | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Dave Hamilton cf | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| (b6) Nick Russell cf | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| TEAM TOTALS | 40 | 6 | 12 | 5 | TEAM TOTALS | 35 | 3 | 11 | 1 |
| E: Stuart Boast(2), Luis Goncalves, Player 6(3), Player 5. DP: Herts Hawks 1. LOB: Herts Hawks 8, Brentwood 11. 2B: Player 1. 3B: Player 3. HR: Humberto Goncalves. SB: Louis Hare(2), Tim Elkins(2), Ross Asquith(2), Carlos Casal, Player 4(3), Player 1, Player 3, Player 2, Player 9. CS: John Oliver. S: Player 7. |
| Herts Hawks | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| Stuart Boast W | 5.00 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| John Oliver | 4.00 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Brentwood | ||||||
| Player 1 L | 9.00 | 12 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 8 |
| WP: Stuart Boast. T: 3:00. A: 30. |
(AUDIO) BBC RADIO COVERAGE OF HERTS BASEBALL
LISTEN to BBC Radio's coverage of the first ever Hertfordshire Baseball derby in June 2007, with studio guests, Lee Manning, Marty Cullen and Marty Cullen Jr. Hosted by presenter Luke Ashmead.
AGE VS BEAUTY
This article was written by Herts Baseball Newswire syndicated reporter, PAUL RAYBOULD. With Raybould now a member of the Old Timers, this article gives a fascinating view from the other dug-out in last Sunday’s season opening encounter.
It was only fitting that Old Timers manager Peter Crook, enjoying his 60th year in the game, elected to put long-time servant of the club George Simmons on the mound at the start of this historic game. With each passing year, George seems to get slower yet his pitches seems to get harder to hit. As each inning went by, Herts batters kept hitting little dribblers or tiny pop ups. George pitched 6 full innings collecting 5 strike outs and walked nobody. His control on the day was outstanding, only going to 3 balls with one batter.
Jake Kikel, the Raptors manager and by far the most experienced player on the team (and old enough to be an Old Timer!), took the mound in the bottom of the 1st. Considering his limited pitching experience, Jacob showed good mechanics and control. It certainly looked like his talented son Peter has given Jake a few lessons. Nevertheless, it pays to know your strike zone and even if they can’t run or throw as well as they used to, the Old Timers hitters knew when to swing or leave a pitch. With each inning, the Old Timers added runs culminating with a big 12-run 4th. This included a solo home run shot from Justin Horsnell who later also clouted a 3-bagger.
Yours truly took the mound for the Old Timers in the 7th and after a shaky start, managed to get through two innings without conceding an earned run. Meanwhile, Jake gave way in the bottom of the 7th to Jonathon Lewys.
Although the game could have been called in the middle of the 7th on the Slaughter Rule, both teams agreed to play on. This gave the Raptors a little more playing experience and the Old Timers a chance to stretch their rusty arms.
Without wishing to sound arrogant, the Raptors should not feel too downhearted in losing to the Old Timers. The current OT team includes a number of “younger” players who have played at a high level and still have plenty of ability to offer. Meanwhile, it was clear that there are players in the Herts squad who will learn quickly and I expect to see a closer game when the teams meet again.
Old Timers Batting Order
Peter Barratt – Left-field
Gary Liston – Catcher
Mike Harold – Shortstop
Justin Horsnell – Third-base
Brian Currier – Centre-field
Paul Raybould – Second-base/Pitcher/First-base
Tony Smyth – First-base-Pitcher
Rob Walker/Billy Gibney – Right-field
George Simmons – Pitcher/Second-base
A special thanks to Old Timer, Paul Raybould, for contributing to the baseball coverage on the Herts Baseball Newswire. Paul was a member of Herts Baseball Club for many years and the club now considers him Herts’ very own representative in the great institution that is the Old Timers Baseball Club.
HERTS BASEBALL STARS TO APPEAR ON BBC THIS SATURDAY
Members of Herts Baseball Club will be paying a visit to the BBC Radio studios this weekend. They will appear on the Saturday Breakfast Show on BBC Three Counties Radio at around
The show is expected to preview the 2008 baseball season for the three Hertfordshire teams – Herts Falcons, Herts Hawks and the Herts Raptors and of course will look forward to the first ever season of the Herts Baseball Little League which will be an unmissable event for boys and girls in and around Hertfordshire this summer.
Baseball has never been so popular in Hertfordshire and Herts Baseball Club is beginning to attract a lot of attention from the written press, radio and TV.
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 |
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.
HERTS HAWKS OPEN SEASON WITH A WIN
Posted on behalf of Herts Newswire Correspondent, DAVE HAMILTON
The Hawks got their season off to a flying start at Grovehill on Sunday, putting in a strong all-round performance to beat the Northampton Bucks 12-7 in their league opener.
After watching the Falcons starting their season with a pair of wins, the Hawks were keen to make it a clean sweep for the home team, and did well to quell an early threat from the Bucks without conceding any runs.
With their manager's team-talk ringing in their ears, the squad then produced an impressive combination of patient hitting and aggressive baserunning to take a 2-0 first inning lead, that they never lost throughout the game. After two quick outs, Humberto Concalves sparked the rally with a base hit, coming round to score on starting pitcher John Oliver's two run single.
Paul Auchterlonie's lead-off triple in the second inning helped the Hawks to extend their lead to 3-0, and Oliver held the Buck's hitters in check with the help of some excellent defensive work, right fielder Ross Asquith combining with first baseman Louis Hare to turn the Hawks' first double play of the season in the third inning.
The Hawks blew the game open in the fourth inning, extending their lead to 7-1 with another two out rally to capitalise on some mistakes from the Bucks, and while
A mention should go to Bucks’ Lithuanian pitcher Marius. Fans of Herts Baseball Club remember him well as the pitcher who shut down the Herts Falcons in last year’s Final 4 when he was playing for the Humber Pilots. Marius threw over 200 pitches in a complete game effort, but ultimately it was the Hawks' day as they completed victory behind the left-right pitching combination of Oliver and Hare.
Manager
| Northampton at Herts Hawks | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score By Innings | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Northampton | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 13 | 8 |
| Herts Hawks | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 10 | 4 |
| Herts Hawks 12, Northampton 7 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herts Hawks | Northampton | ||||||||
| ab | r | h | bi | ab | r | h | bi | ||
| Ross Asquith rf | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | Geoff Finning 3b | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Nick Russell lf | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Edward Redgrave ss | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Humberto Goncalves 2b | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Tim Tamakucho c | 5 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| (t5) Kal Dimitrov 2b | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Jason Mathews cf | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Louis Hare 1b-p | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | Ben Alexander lf | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| John Oliver p-1b | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Marius p | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| (t8) Larry Martillo 1b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Simon rf | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Carlos Casal 3b | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | Ross 1b | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Dave Hamilton cf | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | John 2b | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Paul Auchterlounie c | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Luis Goncalves ss | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| TEAM TOTALS | 39 | 12 | 10 | 4 | TEAM TOTALS | 36 | 7 | 13 | 7 |
| E: Louis Hare(2), Humberto Goncalves, Carlos Casal, John(3), Marius(2), Ross(2), Edward Redgrave. DP: Herts Hawks 2. LOB: Northampton 10, Herts Hawks 11. 3B: Paul Auchterlounie. SB: Carlos Casal(2), Ross Asquith(2), Louis Hare(2), John Oliver, Nick Russell, Luis Goncalves, Edward Redgrave(4), Simon(2), Ross, Jason Mathews, Tim Tamakucho, Geoff Finning. CS: Edward Redgrave, Simon, Ben Alexander. SB: Luis Goncalves. |
| Herts Hawks | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| John Oliver W | 5.00 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
| Louis Hare | 4.00 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| Northampton | ||||||
| Marius L | 8.00 | 10 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 12 |
| HBP: by Marius (Carlos Casal). . . WP: Louis Hare, Marius(5). PB: Tim Tamakucho. T: 3:00. A: 60. |