Category: Adult Leagues
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.
HERTS RAPTORS MAKE HISTORY AS THEY PLAY THEIR FIRST EVER GAME
Herts Baseball Newswire Correspondent, Hunter Devine, writes
The first game in the history of the Herts Raptors commenced last Sunday during week one of the Herts Spring League, hosted at
Mark Hoffman, who had already made contributions with the bat (finishing the day 3-3 with 3 stolen bases and 2 RBIs), relieved Kikel in the 4th and pitched well, striking out 4 and giving up 3 runs, 2 earned.
Though the game did not end up the way the Raptors’ had hoped it would, there were many positives for the young team to take away from the loss as they hope to make some noise in BBF’s Single-A division this season.
| Herts Raptors at Richmond Dragons | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score By Innings | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | R | H | E |
| Herts Raptors | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 1 |
| Richmond Dragons | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 12 | 0 |
| Richmond Dragons 10, Herts Raptors 2 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond Dragons | Herts Raptors | ||||||||
| ab | r | h | bi | ab | r | h | bi | ||
| Player 1 p | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | Ilya Dimitrov lf | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Player 2 c | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | Jonathon Lewys 3b-rf-1b | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Player 3 1b | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | Nick Russell cf | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player 4 2b | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | Mark Hoffman 1b-p | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Player 5 3b | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | Pete Cox ss | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player 6 ss | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | Hunter Devine 2b | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player 7 lf | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Andrew Slater rf-3b | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player 8 cf | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Kal Dimitrov c | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Player 9 rf | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Jake Kikel p-rf | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| TEAM TOTALS | 27 | 10 | 12 | 7 | TEAM TOTALS | 23 | 2 | 8 | 2 |
| E: Kal Dimitrov. LOB: Richmond Dragons 7, Herts Raptors 11. 2B: Player 3, Player 4. SB: Player 4(4), Player 1(4), Player 2(3), Player 5(2), Mark Hoffman(3), Ilya Dimitrov, Jake Kikel. |
| Richmond Dragons | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| Player 1 W | 6.00 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 9 |
| Herts Raptors | ||||||
| Jake Kikel L | 3.00 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 7 |
| Mark Hoffman | 2.00 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| HBP: by Player 1 (Andrew Slater). . . . WP: Jake Kikel. T: 2:55. A: 90. |
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
The Herts Falcons started the 2008 HSL with a home game against
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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 |
|
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: |
HAWKS SUFFER DEFEAT AT THE HANDS OF THE BLAZERS
Posted on behalf of Herts baseball Newswire reporter, Kal Dimitrov
The first week of the Herts Spring League could not have gotten to a more auspicious start – the expected showers and cloudy skies never materialized, and the whole day was played under sunny skies, with the temperature almost balmy at 15o C.
That was as far as luck went for the Herts Hawks. The squad was depleted due to illness and call ups to the Falcons. The Hawks were able to get sufficient number of players thanks to the kind assistance of the Herts Raptors. This, however, was not a problem. Calamity struck in the 1st inning, when starter Humberto Goncalves had to come off the mound with what some medical experts diagnosed as a pulled rib muscle, while others determined to be cramp in the pectoral area.
This required a hasty reshuffle in the field, as well as having to bring in Darrin Ward to pitch cold (which was not helped by his catcher calling for a number of weird pitches, such as sliders, screwballs and changeups after he had barely thrown 8 pitches to warm up). The fallout was the Bracknell Blazers team taking a 5 to 0 lead at the bottom of the 1st.
The Hawks rallied, and were able to keep the score at a respectable margin, finally loosing 8 to 5 to a Bracknell team that contained a number of top class players, as well as some promising rookies of all genders (hats off to the Blazers). Solid pitching by Darrin and some good hitting by Tim Elkins, Humberto Goncalves and Nick Russell kept hopes alive.
At the top of the 5th, Herts Hawks hopes for a comeback were revitalized, when, with the score 8 to 1, Darrin Ward hit a massive bases clearing double that made the score 8 to 4. Darrin was undoubtedly the man of the match for Hawks, with a total of 4 RBI’s and 10 stikeouts. This performance was complemented by the always stylish fielding and batting of young Luis Goncalves, as well as by the gritty determination of the rest of the team.
Bracknell, on this showing, will be tough opponents for any of the teams in the HSL 2 Bracket. In a post-match interview they expressed the view that they were happy with being able to execute their game-plan and give a lot of their players some game-time.
| Herts Hawks at Bracknell Blazers | ||||||||||
| Score By Innings | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
| Herts Hawks | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 1 |
| Bracknell Blazers | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 9 | 1 |
| Bracknell Blazers 8, Herts Hawks 5 | |||||||||
| Bracknell Blazers | Herts Hawks | ||||||||
| ab | r | h | bi | ab | r | h | bi | ||
| Player 1 p | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | Nick Russell lf | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Player 2 c | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Tim Elkins 2b | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Player 3 1b | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 | Humberto Goncalves p-3b | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Player 4 2b | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | (b1) Jake Kikel 1b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player 5 3b | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | Darrin Ward 3b-p | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Player 6 ss | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Kal Dimitrov c | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player 7 lf | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | Jonathon Lewys cf | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Player 8 cf | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | (t6) Ilya Dimitrov cf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player 9 rf | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Mark Hoffman 1b-3b | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Luis Goncalves ss | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Hunter Devine rf | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| TEAM TOTALS | 26 | 8 | 9 | 7 | TEAM TOTALS | 25 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
| E: Player 2, Humberto Goncalves. LOB: Herts Hawks 5, Bracknell Blazers 6. 2B: Player 1, Player 7, Player 8, Darrin Ward(2), Tim Elkins. SB: Player 5(3), Player 4, Player 1, Player 6, Player 2, Jonathon Lewys(2), Nick Russell, Luis Goncalves, Mark Hoffman. |
| Bracknell Blazers | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| Player 1 W | 7.00 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 10 |
| Herts Hawks | ||||||
| Darrin Ward | 5.67 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 10 |
| Humberto Goncalves L | 0.33 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| HBP: by Player 1 (Luis Goncalves). . . . . . PB: Player 2(2), Kal Dimitrov(3). T: 2:55. A: 90. |
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.
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Herts Falcons at Burgess Hill Colts |
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|
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 |
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|
Herts Falcons |
Burgess Hill Colts |
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|
|
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, |
|
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. |
HSL MEDIA COVERAGE
The Herts Spring League commences this Sunday and it looks like it is attracting significant interest from the media. The Hemel Gazette is expected to have an extensive coverage of the 2008 HSL over the three Sundays of the League. Below you will find an extract from a preview of the HSL published this week. The article was also published in their online publication HemelToday.co.uk
FIRST EVER BRITISH SPRING LEAGUE READY FOR TAKE-OFF
Spring is here, which means that baseball is back. This year Herts Baseball Club has added a new event to the British baseball calendar with the first ever Herts Spring League (HSL).
One of the most exciting times of the baseball season is Spring Training. After a long and cold winter everyone connected with baseball is eager to get back to the baseball diamond. Teams start to put into action their master plans to win the league. Players are jostling for a position on the roster. Pitchers are competing for a starting spot in the rotation. It is a first chance for managers and players to see new players which have signed up with the clubs. These are just some of the reasons why Spring is a special time for baseball.
The 2008 HSL line-up has just been announced and it will certainly provide exciting baseball action over the next three weeks. The 10 participating teams are split into two divisions, HSL1 and HSL2.
HSL1 includes Hertfordshire’s top team the Falcons, the Burgess Hill Colts, Northampton Baseball Club who impressed at the 2007 London Tournament and the ASL Eagles. The Eagles will add an element of suspense to HSL1. They are very much an unknown quantity as they do not compete in the BBF leagues. The ASL Eagles is a team representing the
Looking at the HSL1 schedule one game stands out as a must-see clash. The Herts Falcons meet the Burgess Hill Colts for the first time since the 2006 Premier League Playoff game which the Colts won in extra innings to sink the Falcons down from the Premier League to Division 1. Revenge will be on the minds of the Falcons after that heart-breaking game.
HSL2 includes the Herts Hawks, Sidewinders, Richmond Dragons, Bracknell Blazers, Milton Keynes Hurricanes, and the newly created third Hertfordshire team, the Herts Raptors. The MK Hurricanes go into the league as the favourites, but, with other teams strengthening their rosters over the winter, it could prove to be a very competitive league with almost all of the teams having a realistic chance of taking the HSL2 title.
Over the next three Sundays 23 games will be played at 4 baseball venues in and around
For more information about the teams, game times and venues you can visit the official HSL website. The HSL website has linked up with the Herts Baseball Newswire to provide extensive coverage of the HSL including game reports, video news, stats and much more so stay tuned.
RELATED LINKS
Official HSL website: www.hertsbaseball.com/HSL
HAWKS IMPRESSIVE IN FIRST SPRING TRAINING GAME
The Herts Hawks ended the 2007 season with a disappointing 7-12 record, but after this first spring training game it already looks like they will be taking the scalps of many Division 1 teams this season. Their opponents were the Cityslick Sidewinders who last year played in the Premier League which is one division above the Hawks in the British Baseball League pyramid. The Hawks won convincingly 12-3.
Starting on the mound was Darrin Ward, a familiar face to every British baseball fan. He has signed up with Herts Baseball Club from the Milton Keynes Hurricanes and it already looks like he will be playing a key role for the club this year. A combination of speed, control and movement kept the Sidewinders off-balance. Statistics are only available for the first 5 innings of the game. Over those innings Ward allowed only 1 hit with 0.00 ERA and 4 strike-outs (53 strikes, 27 balls, 3 walks).
Another great addition to the club will be the double punch of Luis and Humberto Goncalves who played at short stop and first base, respectively. Luis Goncalves’ smooth fielding mechanics will certainly make teams stand up and take notice. His father Humberto came in with the power, causing havoc with every one of his at bats including a towering Home Run deep to left centerfield almost hitting the Falcons players who were warming up on the adjacent football field.
After a year’s absence on paternity leave, it was a pleasure to see Ross Asquith back in a Herts shirt. He certainly has not lost any of his lightning speed and worked well alongside centerfielder, Paul Auchterlounie.
Several players in the Hawks roster were unavailable so Hunter Devine and Jonathon Lewys received a last minute call-up to the Hawks. It would not be a surprise to see them again with the Hawks this season if they continue their fantastic progress.
See Hawks Photos section for more photos from this game
FALCONS LOSE FIRST SPRING TRAINING GAME TO NOTTINGHAM THIEVES
After weeks of training it was time for the Falcons to put on the Falcons jersey for their first Spring Training game in preparation for the 2008 season. The Nottingham Thieves were the visitors and they certainly came out to play. They took an early lead and the Falcons found it hard to catch up all day. It may have been a friendly exhibition game but there was tension in the air from start to finish.
The game certainly revealed weaknesses which the Falcons will no doubt be addressing in the coming weeks ahead of the 2008 Opening Day.
A big concern is the condition of last season’s joint Home Run Champion, Andy Cornish, who appeared to have dislocated his shoulder in a spectacular diving play at short stop. Early reports indicate that there is no fracture which will come as great relief for all connected with the club. No doubt everyone is holding their breath awaiting further news.
Regardless of the fact that the visitors from
Despite the loss there were positives to take out of the game. Pete Kikel had a very good outing on the mound showing good control and velocity, while Kimiyoshi Saionji, Lee Manning and Marty Cullen were swinging the bat well.
See Falcons Photos section for more photos from this game