Category: Adult Leagues

by AspiDimitrov

(VIDEO) HERTS RAPTORS MAKE LEAGUE DEBUT IN THEIR FIRST EVER SEASON

posted on behalf of Herts Baseball Newswire reporter, ROB JONES

The Herts Raptors learned some harsh lessons in their first competitive game, against the Old Timers of Enfield. The score was tight heading into the bottom of the fourth, but then defensive lapses by Herts, and aggressive base-running by the home team, blew the game open. The Raptors were on the wrong end of several close umpiring calls, but kept their heads up to score some late runs, finally going down 33-8.

There were bright points for the Herts new boys — such as booming doubles from Hunter Devine and Paul Hawes, and a strong performance out of the bullpen by Jon Lewys. Raptors will put defeat behind them and build on the good points in their next match against Essex.
 

Herts Raptors at old timers
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Herts Raptors 0 2 1 0 0 1 1 0 3 8 18 3
old timers 4 0 1 12 2 3 4 7 0 33 27 5

old timers 33, Herts Raptors 8
old timers Herts Raptors
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Player 1 2b 6 4 5 3 Ilya Dimitrov rf 5 0 1 0
Player 2 c 6 4 3 1 Jonathon Lewys p-lf 3 1 2 1
Player 3 1b 5 4 3 6 Andy Ringrose c 5 2 2 0
Player 4 p 5 5 3 3 Paul Hawes 1b 4 1 2 1
Player 5 3b 5 2 3 4 Andrew Slater 3b 5 0 1 0
Player 6 ss 4 4 1 0 Hunter Devine 2b 5 2 4 2
Player 7 lf 4 3 2 2 Rob Jones cf 5 2 4 0
Player 8 cf 4 3 3 4 Pete Cox ss 5 0 0 0
Player 9 rf 6 4 4 6 Jake Kikel lf-p 5 0 2 2
TEAM TOTALS 45 33 27 29 TEAM TOTALS 42 8 18 6

E: Player 4(2), Player 5(2), Player 7, Jonathon Lewys(3). LOB: Herts Raptors 10, old
timers 13. 2B: Player 2, Player 3, Hunter Devine(2), Paul Hawes, Jake Kikel. 3B:
Player 2, Player 9. HR: Player 9. SB: Player 3(8), Player 6(6), Player 5(6), Player
7(5), Player 4(4), Player 1(4), Player 8(4), Player 2(2), Player 9(2), Hunter
Devine(3), Rob Jones(2), Ilya Dimitrov, Paul Hawes, Andy Ringrose. CS: Jonathon
Lewys.

old timers IP H R ER BB SO
Player 4 W 9.00 18 8 6 3 10
Herts Raptors            
Jake Kikel L 4.00 15 19 18 13 2
Jonathon Lewys 3.00 12 14 11 8 1

HBP: by Jake Kikel (Player 1). . . . . . . . WP: Player 4. PB: Player 2. T: 2:55. A:
41.

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

SIDEWINDERS BECOME HSL2 CHAMPIONS

The Sidewinders won the title in HSL2 with a 19-5 victory over the Herts Raptors.  They scored 8 runs in the top of the first inning.  The Raptors who are a brand new expansion team for the British Baseball League came back strong with 5 runs of their own after singles from Ilya Dimitrov and Nick Russell and a 2 RBI double from 2005 Hawks Batting Champ, Rob Jones. 

 

Unfortunately for the Raptors, these were their last runs of the day as the Sidewinders switched gears to take control of the game.  There were many positives for the Herts Raptors to take from this game.  Jake Kikel who came in to relieve at the end of the game continues to put up good stats as a pitcher.  Starter Mark Hoffman also produced two scoreless innings to end his day on a high.

 

More HSL Photos

 

Sidewinders at Herts Raptors
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Sidewinders 8 3 0 0 8 0 0 19 19 1
Herts Raptors 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 8 6

Sidewinders 19, Herts Raptors 5
Sidewinders Herts Raptors
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Player 1 p 3 3 3 1 Ilya Dimitrov rf 2 1 1 0
Player 2 c 3 2 1 2 (t4) Robert Crouch rf 1 0 1 0
Player 3 1b 4 2 3 2 Paul Hawes 1b 1 0 0 0
Player 4 2b 5 2 2 4 (b3) Jonathon Lewys 1b 1 0 0 0
Player 5 3b 4 2 3 2 Andy Ringrose c 4 0 1 0
Player 6 ss 4 3 2 0 Mark Hoffman p 2 1 0 0
Player 7 lf 4 0 1 0 (t5) Jake Kikel p 1 0 0 0
Player 8 cf 4 2 3 1 Pete Cox 2b 0 1 0 0
Player 9 rf 2 3 1 0 Nick Russell sf 3 1 2 0
Rob Jones cf 3 1 2 2
Andrew Slater 3b 3 0 1 0
Steve Nippress lf 3 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 33 19 19 12 TEAM TOTALS 24 5 8 2

E: Player 2, Jonathon Lewys(3), Andy Ringrose, Pete Cox, Andrew Slater. LOB:
Sidewinders 6, Herts Raptors 7. 2B: Player 5(2), Player 3, Rob Jones. HR: Player 4.
SB: Player 9(5), Player 1(3), Player 6(2), Player 8(2), Player 2, Player 7, Player 5,
Andrew Slater, Ilya Dimitrov. CS: Steve Nippress.

Sidewinders IP H R ER BB SO
Player 1 W 6.00 8 5 2 4 8
Herts Raptors            
Mark Hoffman L 4.00 16 18 10 5 5
Jake Kikel 2.00 3 1 1 3 0

HBP: by Player 1 (Paul Hawes), by Player 1 (Pete Cox). . . . , by Mark Hoffman
(Player 9). , by Jake Kikel (Player 5). . WP: Player 1, Mark Hoffman(2). PB: Player
2(3), Andy Ringrose(2). T: 2:59. A: 78.

by AspiDimitrov

BLAZERS DO THE DOUBLE OVER THE HAWKS

 

This high-scoring victory meant that the Sidewinders had a 100% winning record and the only team that had a chance to overtake them in the HSL2 standings were the Bracknell Blazers.  They played in the second game of the day and met the Herts Hawks.  The Blazers once again had packed their lineup with members of their National League team.  The 85mph+ pitching kept the Hawks off the bases.  The Hawks who will be playing two tiers below the National League in 2008 can be very proud in the knowledge that the did not give up against a formidable opponent and in effect prevented the Blazers from winning the title by holding their lead to single digits.  Hawks starter Louis Hare was certainly a key reason for with a solid pitching performance supported by a strong defence in the face of a powerful batting lineup.

 

The Blazers ended their HSL campaign with a 100% record (2-0) but critically their run differential was lower than that of the Sidewinders by 7 runs.

 

DRAGONS AND HAWKS PRODUCE A THRILLER

 

The final game of the 2008 Herts Spring League was a dramatic match up between the Richmond Dragons and the Herts Hawks.  An early 3-run lead for the visitors from Richmond did not last long as Herts Hall of Famer, Stuart Boast, delivered a crushing 3-run homerun.  The Hawks were playing their second game of the day with a severely depleted squad and a shortage of fresh arms.  Richmond took a full advantage and won the game 10-9.

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.