Category: Adult Leagues

14 August 201715 August 2017 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts Red Kites win inaugural Kal Cup

The Herts Red Kites won the inaugural Kal Cup, a baseball tournament in memory of our friend and team-mate Kal Dimitrov who died suddenly during a league game between the Herts Raptors and Essex Archers in 2015.

The tournament featured mostly Single-A League teams including both the Essex Archers and the Herts Raptors. The lineup also included Kal’s Knights, a team made up of veterans who played alongside Kal during his 14 years at the club.

On day one of the competition, the teams faced each other in a league format. The organisers opted for the single-inning format in these group games, a concept which Herts fans are familiar with from the Hunlock Series. In a change from the usual baseball system of counting wins and losses to determine the group standings, teams were awarded three points for a win, one for a tie and no points for a loss, perhaps influenced by the fact that the Premier League football season kicked off this weekend.

The Herts Red Kites, which is the club’s Under-17 team managed by Andrew Fulford, dominated the group games picking up 5 wins and a draw out of their 8 games. That was enough to put them in first place in the final Group Standings, one point above Kal’s Knights. That earned the Herts Red Kites a considerable advantage on Sunday as they could sit back and wait during the first round of double-elimination games while all the other teams knock each other out.

Before Sunday’s game, on Saturday evening each team had a representative in the Home Run Derby. The lineup of batters included a good number of power-hitters with many home runs to their names over the course of their careers, so it was surprising that the derby produced very few home runs. The MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the NBL in 2012, Jarrod Pretorius, proved too strong for the rest and won it.

Pretorius was a member of the Babalas Barracudas, who struggled on Saturday winning only 1 of their 8 games. Their chances were further hindered when they lost their first game on Sunday 3-0 to Kal’s Knights. There was no room for error as one more loss would mean that they would be eliminated. An outstanding performance by Iain McCrimmon on the mound helped them secure a 2-0 win eliminating the Essex Archers despite an excellent performance from their own pitcher Humberto Goncalves.

It seemed like everyone was wearing Kal’s number 12 this weekend

Herts Raptors had a strong start on Sunday but the resurgent Barracudas knocked them out of the Cup with an 11-2 win.

The number one seeded Herts Red Kites came up against Kal’s Knights for a place in the Final and continued their dominant performance from the previous day winning 7-5.

Kal’s Knights were not out of the Cup yet. They had a second chance to book a place in the final if they could beat the Babalas Barracudas. The large number of games played was taking its toll not only on the Knights but also on the Barracudas, as some of the players on both sides were playing baseball for the first time after announcing their retirement from baseball years ago. Both teams submitted a joint request to the tournament’s Commissioner, Lee Manning, to merge the two teams for the Final and face the Herts Red Kites whose young players had hardly broken sweat all weekend. The fact that they were wearing different colour uniforms did not matter that much as the jerseys of both teams had Kal’s number 12 on their back. The request was accepted but even that wasn’t enough to derail the Herts Red Kites who went on to win the Final 11-4 and lift the Kal Cup, a crystal trophy which was made thanks to the kind personal donation of British Baseball Federation President, Gerry Perez.

View full 2017 Kal Cup Scoreboard

One of these three caps is edible – Heather Cooke produced another outstanding array of cakes for the Kal Cup

The first Kal Cup proved to be a very fitting way to remember not only Kal but other members of the British baseball community that we have lost including Phil Chesterton (Essex Arrows), Norman Wells (Liverpool Trojans), umpires Dave Smith and Ted Gerard-Thesingh, among others. The event was another example of the incredible power of baseball to bring people together. Some of the players on show made their return to the diamond for the first time in many years. There were others who were playing their first ever baseball game.

“We aim to make this an annual event” said Commissioner, Lee Manning. He added that “the club hopes to find a free date in the 2018 British baseball calendar in discussions with the BBF”.

Kal’s brother, Aspi Dimitrov, thanked everyone involved for creating this wonderful event in Kal’s name. He said: “I know how much work Lee and everyone at the club put into this and I want to express the gratitude of the whole Dimitrov family for all the support and kindness from everyone at Herts and the wider baseball community not just at the weekend but over the last two years.”

9 August 20179 August 2017 by Rob Jones

Postseason Dreams Still a Reality After Raptors Win Nail-Biter in Essex

The end of the baseball season is always a tense and exciting time for teams hovering around postseason contention, writes Matthew Jackson. For the Raptors, a win against the Essex Archers last Sunday was a must if they wished to keep playing in September.

The teams were no strangers to one another having matched up three times last season. With the Archers bringing an impressive 8-3 record this year into the game, the Raptors knew that they had a strong team once again.

Cat and mouse

Facing Archers’ pitcher Jim Hogge, the Raptors struck quickly in the first inning – leadoff hitter Zack Longboy hammering the first pitch he saw into the outfield for a base hit. Seven more batters stepped up to the plate in the inning, taking advantage of some timely hits to score three runs early on with Zack’s father Arnie contributing to a couple of RBIs.

Creating a lead early on has rarely been a problem for the Raptors this season, but the question was whether or not they could maintain it.

Paul Auchterlounie was back on the mound for Herts making his second consecutive start after a dominating performance against Guildford the week before. The Archers came out swinging and, with a combination of perfect placement and defensive mistakes, they were able to retaliate. By the end of the 2^nd inning, both teams were tied 7-7.

And this pattern of cat-and-mouse scoring is how the game would continue. Bats were awake on both teams – stand-in Raptors manager John Kjorstad went 3-for-5 with a booming double to plate a couple of runs. Ben Sinclair, making his debut appearance as catcher, also had an impressive day both at and behind the plate, reaching base safely three times.

Unbearably close

Essex were also proving to be tough outs, with one eleven-pitch at-bat ultimately going Auchterlounie’s way, only after the batter had fouled-off six pitches.

Herts had improved defensively throughout the game too. With the ball seldom reaching the outfield, the infielders were constantly tested with shortstop Zack Longboy and third-baseman Tom Carson making some terrific plays to prevent batters from reaching.

Even when the Archers had runners on-base, the Raptors were able to respond with Sinclair alertly throwing to third base to nab the runner attempting to steal.

However, the game was still unbearably close. By the middle of the 9^th inning, Herts were tenderly holding on to a 18-17 lead, knowing that Essex need score only two runs for them to come away victors having trailed throughout – a feeling Herts knew all too well.

Arnie Longboy had replaced Auchterlounie on the mound for the final four innings, with his slower pitches effective at disrupting the Archers’ timing.

Arnie Longboy got his first pitching W earlier in 2017

By the bottom of the 9^th inning, however, the Archers had changed their approach. After showing bunt almost every pitch, their leadoff batter drew a walk and, two stolen bases later, the tying run was suddenly at third base with no outs recorded. The Raptors could sense another painful defeat heading their way. Or so they thought.

Base-running blunder

With another Essex batter reaching first base and then trying to steal second, the runner on third base made a break for home, only for shortstop Zack Longboy to quickly intercept and throw the ball back to catcher Sinclair who, after a leaping grab, managed to bring his body back down fast enough to tag the runner at the plate.

The run did not score, but the Raptors were not clear of danger yet. The next batter hit the Archers’ first fly ball to right field and right-fielder Darren Butterworth – who had not had many fielding opportunities up until this point – shuffled into position underneath the ball for the catch and the second out.

A base-running blunder for Essex meant that the runner on second base had strayed too far from the bag as the ball was caught, and Butterworth was coolly able to throw the ball to second base for the double play.

Herts had clung on somehow in extraordinary fashion.

The Essex Archers predictably put up a tough fight, and the Raptors will no doubt be buoyant after this win heading into their final game of the season against the Guildford Millers on 20^th August. It will be another must-win game for the team in order to remain in playoff contention, but will there be as much drama?

1 August 2017 by Rob Jones

Herts tame young Gold Cats

The Herts Raptors came roaring out of the blocks on their visit to the Guildford Gold Cats on Sunday (July 30th). Three hits, three walks and a clutch of stolen bases helped them score five before their hosts even picked up a bat, writes Rob Jones.

There was a lot at stake on this mostly sunny but blustery day, with Herts looking to get their record back to .500 on the season. Bouncing back from their recent defeat at Cambridge would give them a chance of a playoff place — but only a victory would do.

Paul Auchterlounie heads in to score a run

The runs driven in by Paul Barton and Arnie Longboy offered a good start.

When he took the game ball to pitch the bottom of the first, Paul Auchterlounie built on that quickly. The Guildford Gold Cats came out swinging aggressively, and Auchterlounie’s ability to both throw strikes and change speeds made swift work of the lineup. They did not score.

Herts scored three more in the top of the second. Then a double play from shortstop Rob Jones helped choke off the Guildford offense as it tried to reply — catching a pop-up in the hole then throwing to John Kjorstad at first to nab a runner who had strayed way too far off base.

Paul Barton stole home in the fourth inning, alertly — even cheekily — coming across to score as both the pitcher and the catcher were looking elsewhere.

And in the bottom of the frame it was the other Paul, Auchterlounie, doing the business. He fielded two comebackers for ground-outs, then struck out the third batter.

The Raptors led 11-5 at this point. Although the game was balanced, Herts felt in control. A costly throwing error by Guildford on an infield dribbler allowed two runs to score, and the lead stretched. Herts minds were turning towards a mercy rule victory.

But the youthful Guildford side did not give up. In fact, they brought on their third bright young pitcher of the day — this one throwing high heat, and offspeed pitches including a knuckleball.

And their hitters finally chased Auchterlounie, who gave way to Barton. The box score now shows that the Gold Cats won the final three innings of the game — but the question at the time was could they come back, or could Herts hold on?

Raptors tacked on one more in the seventh, and the eighth. Guildford kept drawing closer.

Joseph Osborne-Brade reached base with what we will call a swinging bunt in the ninth, then Arnie Longboy reached on a hit by pitch. Then two strikeouts ended any hope of padding the lead, and Raptors led 19-14 going into the bottom of the ninth.

Five runs is far from impossible in Single-A baseball. But on this day only one run would score. Good pitching from Paul Barton did the trick, and some tightened up fielding.

Guildford Gold Cats had shown their tremendous talent and potential, and had clubbed big hits to back up their pitching. But the Herts smarts had been enough to get the crucial win.

18 July 201721 August 2017 by Rob Jones

Monarchs reign over Raptors

For five innings, the box score was ticking over steadily as the Herts Raptors took on the Cambridge Monarchs on a gloomy but humid Coldham’s Common. The numbers show two teams who were evenly matched, writes Rob Jones.

Then, for the first time, the visiting batters put up a zero in their top half of the sixth inning. And then Cambridge come back to bite them, big time.

Arnie Longboy keeps an eye on Paul Barton

But let’s start at the beginning. The Raptors had struggled to piece together a team for this trip to Cambridge, with injuries, family crises and the start of the summer holidays all taking their toll. But with a little help from the Monarchs, they got the men they needed.

Shortstop Rob Jones scored the first run of the game, talking a walk, stealing a base, and advancing on a pass ball before he was driven in by first baseman John Kjorstad.

The next batch of runs, which came in the second inning, were similarly manufactured. Joseph Osborne Brade with the walk, then the wild pitch, before he was driven in by Matt Jackson. A steal and a single, then Kjorstad in turn brought him home.

So far, so good.

Ben Sinclair ended the inning by flying out to a fielder just inches from the home run fence. Perhaps Herts’ inability to get “a big hit” stopped them capitalising on their own good work at the plate.

In the field, they did good work to keep the Monarchs in check. Second baseman James Emblow made an unassisted double play in the first inning, taking a catch then swiftly stepping on his bag for another out. Left fielder Osborne-Brade cut down a runner trying to go home on a hit to the outfield in the second, with catcher Arnie Longboy standing strong to secure the out at the plate.

So the lead changed hands in the early innings, but it was always nip and tuck. A 4-3 Herts lead became a 6-5 deficit and then after five innings it was tied 8-8.

Then…. well, it’s hard to put a finger on what happened next. Paul Barton, who had pitched out of trouble thus far, perhaps lived too dangerously this time. A difficult catch went down, then one or two easier ones.

And hits just found holes. Arnie Longboy moved from behind the plate to pitch, as fine rain started to sweep across the field. He closed it down, but only after Cambridge had scored their ninth run of the inning and gone ahead 17-8.

Herts then had the opportunity to hit back. But the task had been made harder by the Monarchs flame-throwing reliever, who had racked up strikeouts once he settled in on the mound. The Raptors did make some good contact, and worked more walks. But they could score only two, leaving the Monarchs needing three runs for a mercy win.

Longboy induced a pop-up for the first out, but Herts could not hold back the river. With the infield drawn in, a single up the middle struck the winning blow. It ended 20-10 and moved the Raptors to 5-6 on the season.

4 July 201711 July 2017 by Zack Longboy

Falcons shock Southampton, Upset Defending Champs

Herts Falcons, 5 – Southampton Mustangs, 2 In a game with a tangible sense of added emotion, the Herts Falcons upset the Southampton Mustangs on the back of a Miguel Hector 3-run bomb, and a complete game, 4-hitter for starter Zack Longboy.

From the first pitch, Southampton looked ready to continue their streak of hot hitting as a bloop, a hard liner and a wild pitch pushed two runs across in the top of the first. On the mound for the Mustangs was Alejandro Morense, who also looked untouchable early with a sharp curveball.

After being blanked for the first two innings, the Herts offense came alive, led by Jarrod Pretorius, who collected two hits in his return to the Falcons, and Tyler Badenhorst who drove in a run to reduce the deficit to 2-1. It was the bottom of the 4

It was the bottom of the 4^th however, when the Herts bats really began to do their damage. Singles by Badenhorst and catcher Phil Clark put ducks on the pond for Miguel Hector, who smashed a no-doubter over the wall in left, to bring the score to 4-2, Herts. Hector’s production in the 8-hole, including what was, without question, one of the biggest plays of the game, is indicative of a Herts lineup that produced one-through-nine on Sunday.

On the other side of the ball, Herts got a dominant performance by starter Zack Longboy who allowed only 2 runs on four hits, in the complete game win. After the top of the first, Longboy blanked the hard-hitting Mustangs, who’s lineup includes several GB Senior Nationals, for the next 6 innings with a biting two-seamer that ran in on Southampton hitters all day.

In support of Longboy, the Herts defense which has often struggled with error-laced innings this season, also looked on point, buoyed by the play of third baseman Pretorius and centerfielder Darren Meintjes. Clark, who called an excellent game behind the plate, also showcased stellar defense, allowing no passed balls and keeping the Mustangs’ runners in check.

Padding the lead, hits by first-baseman Cris Hiche and a double roped off the wall in left for John Blose added another run in the bottom of the 5^th, bringing the lead to 5-2, Herts. A late push in the top of the 7^th by the Mustangs saw two men reach on a double and a walk, but a timely pick off at 2^nd by Longboy and a ground ball to third ended the threat, and sealed the Falcons’ win.

All day, emotions seemed to be running high in the Herts dugout, the team fired up to play the defending-champ-Mustangs. “We’ve got a great team when we have our full roster out and [we] can compete with all the top teams” Manager Lee Manning said. “Longboy threw a masterclass and makes me proud of our youth system. He’s developed so much over the last two years, I expect to see him in the GB senior set up soon.”

WHAT’S NEXT? British baseball fans are encouraged to attend the British Summer Time/MLB UK event in Hyde Park this evening July, 4^th. The event will pit two teams of former major leaguers, including Cliff Floyd, Carlos Pena and Shawn Greene, against one other in a home run derby competition. Stayed tuned for post-event coverage on the Herts Baseball website.

For the Falcons, the next matchup will be a doubleheader against a familiar foe: the Southampton Mustangs, who will no doubt be looking for revenge.

Doubleheader: Herts Falcons vs. Southampton Mustangs

Game 1: 12:00 p.m.

Game 2: 3:00 p.m.

Location: Grovehill Ballpark, HP2 6NH

27 June 201718 July 2017 by Rob Jones

Raptors best Bobcats, back to winning ways

The last time the Raptors faced Tonbridge in a BBF game it was the famous playoff victory of 2016. Some faces have changed since then, and the main aim for Herts this time around was to break a frustrating losing streak.

Confidence was high as the two teams met at Grovehill on Sunday, with the arrival of veteran John Kjorstad on the Herts roster off-setting the absence of some of this year’s new stars.

Raptors manager, Paul Barton, got the start on the mound on a day which saw sporadic rain showers break up the weeks of sunshine. It was a solid opening, with the visitors scoring just two.

The Herts bats replied by scoring three to take the lead, and the offense would be the saviour many times in this game. Not once were Herts held scoreless, and that would be crucial to the result.

After Tonbridge were shut out in the next couple of innings, the Raptors built a promising looking 8-2 lead. Ken Pike had himself a day in many ways, and his triple to lead off the third was just one part of that. He went 3-for-4 with the bat, driving in three.

In his role as catcher, he was also part of a double play and threw out two runners — both pretty rare plays in Single-A. Second baseman Arnold Longboy did an admirable job applying the tags on the two steals, while Paul Auchterlounie’s sharp fielding as relief pitcher helped to turn two.

But let’s get back to the top of the fifth inning, where it started to go sour for the Raptors. Barton’s pitching had perhaps not been at its sharpest, and he was starting to lose his battle with the tight strike zone.

Tonbridge were happy to take advantage and work walks. They scored eight runs in what felt like an interminable fifth inning, to roar back and take the lead 13-12.

When it was all over, Herts had given away an astonishing 30 base-on-balls. But it was that sort of day. The Bobcats walked 14 — and once Paul Barton handed over the ball to his relievers, they also had trouble throwing consistent strikes.

One Tonbridge hitter swung the bat just once all day, but scored four runs. So it wasn’t an entirely duff strategy.

However, it was Ken Pike who ultimately got the win as pitcher (see, I told you he had a day). Because, yes, win is what the Raptors did.

Archive photo of Ken Pike in base-running action but we’re sure that’s how he’d like to be shown

They struck back with 10 runs of their own in the bottom of the fifth to take a commanding lead which they would not surrender. Pike hit a double, and stole home. John Kjorstad drove in four as he went 4-for-5 on the day. Third baseman Tom Carson hit a pair of doubles, while Auchterlounie hit a triple.

Tonbridge did not give up without a fight, though, and narrowed the gap each inning. The feeling in the Herts dugout remained tense.

But on a day when pitching was not the dominant force, the Raptors were happy that they won the contest for number of hits — 23, compared with 15.

They even managed to end with a defensive flourish, shutting out Tonbridge in the top of the ninth to complete a 32-26 victory. The losing streak was broken. Complete with a forfeit from a previous week, the Herts side now move to 4-5 as they head into the last third of the season.

The Herts Falcons had a tougher time of it in their National League (NBL) double-header away to the London Capitals.

They travelled with a strong young side, and the first game was tied 1-1 going into the fourth inning with Ian Sales getting the RBI. Then a London home run opened the floodgates and they ran out 9-1 winners, with Herts unable to wake up their bats.

Game 2 also saw a close start – with the score 5-all in the fifth. Tyler Badenhorst and Zack Longboy shared the pitching duties,while Moises Vazquez drove in three. Again, London piled on, though, and secured a 14-6 victory.

24 June 201721 August 2017 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Two more wins for Hawks. Innocuous play causes bench-clearing.

by Andy Cornish,
reporting from Grovehill Ballpark in Hertfordshire

Herts Hawks continued their hot return in the second tier of British baseball with another double victory against last year’s Double-A champions on Sunday, which saw some scorching temperatures and sticky incidents. Herts went into the game knowing that two of their big hitters were out of action, their bullpen was depleted and the British weather was going to hold no prisoners.

Game 1: Hawks 10 Daws Hill Spitfires 5

Andrew Slater got off the blocks slightly shakily, allowing two runs in the first inning after striking out the first batter, before settling down to his usual command and accuracy that has helped him to gain respect across the league. A typical Slater inning was seen in the fourth inning, when he threw 5 pitches, 4 strikes, to record 3 quick outs. Both Slater and the fielders welcomed the respite from the increasing temperatures. After 6 innings the Hawks were up 10-2, which also included some quality at bats, personified by a Hunter Devine triple which came after a 9 pitch at bat. The heat was starting to get to the players, with Gilberto twice slowing down going into second base from hits, once getting tagged out. In the top of the 7th, the Hawks allowed three runs, after the Spitfires found the gaps. With 2 down, a Daws Hill runner tried to steal third, Gilberto managed to grab the high throw from Cornish and make a tag, but the ball was knocked out by the sliding runner. The runner then decided to break for home, Medina grabbed the ball, that was by his feet, and made a tag, which the umpire didn’t see as the player retreated and was called safe. The next pitch, the batter hit deep and high into the outfield, which was tracked down by the reliable glove of Sony Lama, for the final out.

The end of the game allowed players to get some much needed shade, as the temperatures, much like the Herts average age, increased into the mid-30s. Matt Jackson was called up from the Herts Raptors due to the depleted Hawks numbers on Father’s Day, but he truly held his own.

Game 2: Hawks 11 Daws Hill Spitfires 9

The second game was even more heated, with the temperature baking and tempers flaring. With the Hawks leading 4-2 in the 3rd inning, there was a tense moment after what seemed like an innocuous play at first. The Herts batter, Ernest Ayala Jr, managed to reach base after a throw to first base took the first baseman off the bag and Ayala went by him before he could apply the tag. Ayala Jr made a turn into fair territory under the impression that the throw went astray all the way to the fence. He quickly realized that the ball was in the first baseman’s glove and and he had to slide back feet-first into first base to avoid being tagged out. The first baseman didn’t seem to realize that he had an opportunity to tag the runner out so he wasn’t sure why he was sliding into first base and incorrectly concluded that Ayala Jr’s slide was an act of aggression. This caused a heated confrontation involving a large number of players from both sides. Thankfully, cool heads prevailed after a 15-minute delay. Games between these two teams are always played with the utmost mutual respect and this was the case again on Sunday, apart from this one heated moment, which we should probably attribute to the incredibly hot weather rather than any ill feeling. With the scores fluctuating throughout the game, Ernie Ayala was able to hold onto the game for a complete game win against some good pitching and solid hitting.

Hawks are now 9-2 this season, 1 game back on the East London Latin Boys with Sidewinders and Marauders following close behind. Next game for Hawks is away doubleheader at Marauders on 2 July, to be played at Enfield, not Finsbury Park

Thanks should go again to the umpires, making another fantastic contribution to the game, with great, timely calls, diffusing situations, in gruelling conditions.

19 June 201723 June 2017 by Zack Longboy

Battling the ‘Enfield hop’

London Capitals, 11 – Herts Falcons, 9

In a game where forfeit (and consequently the dashing of any playoff berth hopes) looked likely, the Herts Falcons battled adversity all day long in the Father’s Day matchup with the London Capitals.

Continue reading “Battling the ‘Enfield hop’” →

14 June 2017 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Hawks fall to Latin Boys in 9

Michael Cresswell reporting from Grovehill Ballpark, Hemel Hempstead

The Hawks were looking to restart another winning streak on Sunday but unfortunately fell to the Double-A South leaders East London Latin Boys by a score of 14-7.

Both teams were eager to see who would take the seasonal series with the Hawks and Latin Boys splitting the last series and ending both teams’ unbeaten streaks. The Hawks streak ended that day after an impressive run of 24 games won. The game was considered to be a pitchers duel with Jeffrey Aguilar starting for the Latin Boys and Ernie Ayala starting for the Hawks. Both pitchers ERA under 4 at the start of the game.

The opening inning showed that the Latin Boys’ hard-hitting lineup was still showing from the last game as they managed to score 2 runs from solid line drives to the outfield. The Hawks defence also started to flourish, including the first of two double plays in the game, both with shortstop Louis Hare involved to end the inning.

Ayala’s stellar pitching held the runs down and stopped the running game with his elite pickoff move however the strong bats from the Latin Boys was illustrated in a 2-run homerun by First Baseman, Alberto Novas, to extend their lead in the second inning.

The Hawks offence started to come alive in the middle part of the game with three runs with skipper Greg Bochan starting it off himself by managing to get on base with a walk. The Hawks bats also came alive with hits from the great Bulgarian Duo of Aspi Dimitrov and Ilya Dimitrov, the latter managing to hit a laser of a line drive down the left field line to bag himself a double to break up the stellar form of Aguilar.

Pitching was not only a key part of this game but defence as well with both teams putting on performances to stop base hits and runs. Slugger Gilberto Medina had a solid line drive caught by the Latin Boys’s Center Fielder’s diving effort and quick turn efforts made in the infield from the Hawks to stop sharp grounders. Ayala’s day was done after five innings and the ball was given to Louis Hare to come in for relief.

Unfortunately this was not enough to stop the Latin Boys with the side managing to get on base and drive these in with the longball. Pitcher Jeffrey Aguilar and Outfielder Aneudy Vargas putting the ball over the wall in a rare fashion that the Hawks had not been used to. British Baseball getting treated to a 4 HR game, however none for the Hawks.

Batters from the mighty Hawks managed to get on base in the latter parts with strong walks from Hunter Devine, base hits from Michael Cresswell, Louis Hare & Jonathon Lewys to drive additional runs, totalling 7 runs from 6 hits in the game. The game ended 14-7 after 9 innings.

Though the defeat was bitter, the Hawks managed to keep morale high by having a barbeque after and included some players ending up in a hot tub! The next game will be the second double header as they welcome the Daws Hill Spitfires to Grovehill Ballpark on the New Diamond with first pitch at 12:00pm. Can they start off another winning streak that could possibly beat that incredible 24 game winning streak? Only time will tell!

13 June 201714 June 2017 by Zack Longboy

Falcons pick up much needed win

Herts Falcons, 9 – Brighton Jets, 8

After a run of poor performances from the Herts NBL side, things finally came together on the one-game road trip to Brighton this past Sunday. Defensively, an area where the Falcons have struggled greatly in recent weeks, the team was near flawless, with particularly strong performances from Andrew Fulford behind the dish, Jamie Warren in centerfield, and Moises Vasquez at third. The pitching staff too, looked to be revitalized in the one-game, 9 inning format.

Continue reading “Falcons pick up much needed win” →