Category: Adult Leagues

by Rob Jones

Rough ride for Raptors on road trip

After a solid start to the season at Grovehill, the Herts Raptors took their season on the road in the past two weeks, writes Rob Jones. They were disappointed by the results, coming up short on long trips to Kent and to Norfolk.

This Sunday saw a visit to the Norwich Iceni, who are playing their first season in the BBF leagues. The team was undefeated so far in Single-A, and clearly posed a strong challenge.

Paul Barton scores for Herts in Norwich (pic: Norwich Iceni)

A few Raptors players made the trip a day early, to settle in and sample the Norwich nightlife. Some Iceni players graciously helped them do that, and clearly a fine time was had by all. So what would Sunday bring?

Herts set themselves up well in the first inning, with runners on the corners and one out. But slick handling of an infield grounder meant the runner on third got tagged out, and a fly-out ended the threat.

The second inning was a similar picture – good contact but no runs. Steve Patmore got the first of two hits on the day before being stranded on the bases, and Giuseppe Basilea’s giant drive was caught on the warning track.

But Herts were holding their own defensively. Norwich scored only one run in the first. Matt Jackson made an astonishing running catch in centre field.

In the second, an unassisted double play from third baseman Ben Sinclair limited the damage with the bases loaded. He snared a hard hit liner and stepped on the bag. Again, Norwich scored only one.

As the game went on, second baseman James Emblow and first baseman Basilea were the defensive stars for the Raptors. They combined for a series of crucial plays.

Giuseppe Basilea at bat (pic: Norwich Iceni)

But, come the third inning, Herts could not hold back their hosts any more. The Iceni put 12 runs on the board with booming hits to the outfield. In fact, even their infield mishits did not hurt them, as they were always half a step faster than the Herts infield.

For Norwich, Adam Ray went 4-for-4 with a double, while Tom Thornhill drove in 3.

It ended in a mercy rule victory for Norwich, 16-1. Manager and starting pitcher Paul Barton scored the only Herts run of the game, driven in by Steve Patmore.

A week earlier in Kent, a somewhat depleted Raptors squad had made a good start against the Mariners. The two teams had met in the Herts Spring League, with the Raptors coming off best on that occasion.

Kent were 1-2 going into this game — including a loss to the Norwich Iceni – and the teams appeared evenly matched.

Raptors capitalised on a series of first inning walks issued by the Mariners starting pitcher. Catcher Rob Jones got the first hit, driving in 2 runs, and in all the Raptors scored 6 to jump out in front.

But the Mariners came back strongly, tying the game up by the end of the third. Jose Valero was their offensive powerhouse on the day, going 4-for-6, with 3 RBIs. David Ratcliff hit a double and got the win in relief.

Kent’s David Ratcliff in Herts Spring League action

After the see-saw opening innings, the game did settle down into an even and quality contest. It went all nine innings before Kent claimed a 19-13 win, and the score for the final five innings was a tight 6-4.

Left fielder Michael Johnson got 3 RBIs for Herts, while Darren Butterworth went 3-for-5 with the bat as well as striking out two in his pitching debut. James Emblow and Giuseppe Basilea could again be pleased with their performance in the field.

Acting manager for the day, Rob Jones, doffed his cap to Kent. “It all came together for them today, and we just couldn’t pull it back. Some of our guys did great work though, and that helps us a lot going forward.”

The road trip drops the Raptors back to 2-4 on the season so far. They return to Grovehill this weekend to take on the Cambridge Royals.

All smiles (pic: Kent Mariners)

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Hawks and Latin Boys put on a show in top of the table clash. End each other’s winning streak.

Herts Hawks extended their winning run to 24 games but the streak was over 2 hours later as they shared the spoils in their doubleheader with the league-leading East London Latin Boys.

With both teams still unbeaten this season and placed in first and second place in the standings this was an eagerly anticipated clash which saw the highest attendance of the Double-A League season so far. The two teams had never met before so the pre-game batting and fielding practice was carefully observed by players and coaches on both sides. It resembled a heavyweight boxing weigh-in with both teams sizing each other up and looking for strengths to watch out for and weaknesses to exploit later in the day.

It became clear very quickly that the Latin Boys have a hard-hitting batting lineup so there would not be any easy outs. Pitchers were also throwing harder than what the Hawks had seen so far this season. This however did not faze the Hawks, who struck early to take a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Despite the Latin Boys getting their lead-off batter on-base in the bottom of the inning, it ended abruptly after a catch at the wall by right fielder Dan Bartram was turned into a double play following his throw to first base in a bang-bang play which saw both the runner and first baseman Michael Cresswell dive to touch first base in a photo-finish for the force-out. The Latin Boys’ bats did not seem that comfortable against starting pitcher Andrew Slater who has been serving BBF batters with a regular diet of junk pitches for many years now. He recently added a never before seen pitch to his repertoire, which he has named “Lindsay Lohan”.

The home team gradually managed to work their way back into the game and took a 7-5 lead after 5 innings. In the penultimate inning they retired the first two Herts batters quickly. It seemed like the Hawks’ winning streak was about to end. With two outs and no one on base, co-manager Greg Bochan started a rally which saw 7 Herts runs score and turned the game on its head. The Hawks now had a 5-run lead and needed just 6 outs. Louis Hare took the mound and managed to pin down the Latin Boys for a 12-10 win with the help of his defence which included a spectacular diving catch by Sony Lama in left field – a play of the year nomination.

There was no time for celebrating as the second game of the doubleheader was coming up and the Hawks had to face the Latin Boy’s ace pitcher Jeffrey Aguilar. In response Herts went with starting pitcher Nic Goetz who made his debut having missed 2016 with a fractured wrist – an injury sustained in unusual circumstances off the baseball field.

Once again the visitors took an early 2-1 lead which they extended to 6-4 after 5 innings. Nic Goetz was in full control, but this was his first outing in two years and he had reached his pitch count limit. Unlike the first game, this time the Hawks bullpen was not able to hold down the explosive bats of the East Londoners who went on to win it 14-8.

That ended the Hawks’ 24-game winning streak. The last time they lost a game of baseball was in September 2015 so it was natural for the players to feel a sense of disappointment that they couldn’t keep it going. But co-managers Andrew Slater and Greg Bochan were quick to congratulate the team on another outstanding performance on the day and over the previous 20 months. They also gave credit to the Latin Boys who are a very strong team which will be in the thick of the playoff race this year.

This was the first visit of a Herts team to the home of the Latin Boys at Salibury Hall Playing Fields, and we must give a special mention to the home team and their fans for creating a very enjoyable atmosphere with a Latin American flavour. The club and their field were created just two years ago. During our visit we learned that this was not an easy project. Across the country there are unsung British Baseball heroes who make a great sacrifice to build and grow the game of baseball in the UK. We understand that Pepe Anderson played a key role in creating this club, securing the field and turning it into a baseball diamond. The club was not able to receive government funding for the project and Anderson decided to finance it by putting the costs of the ballpark on his credit card which he is paying to this day. As we left the ballpark at the end of the day, Anderson was rolling up the temporary outfield fence, despite limping as a result of being hit by pitch in the second game. We hope that the large Latin American community which had gathered to enjoy the game, the barbeque and the Latin American music will mobilize behind Anderson to realize the great potential for this club.

It was satisfying for the visiting Hawks players to learn that Herts Baseball Club had already contributed to the Latin Boys’ project two years ago by donating the orange outfield fence when Herts Falcons player Edwin Alcantara asked Herts if they could help this new club in some way.

The Hawks have a week off. They will be back in league action on 4 June when they travel to the banks of the river Thames to face the Richmond Barons.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts starts plans to form 4th adult league team and invites applications for manager

WAITING LIST FOR NEW SINGLE-A AND DOUBLE-A PLAYERS

Every year in January Herts Baseball Club assesses the number of players registering to play in the upcoming season and on that basis determines how many teams to enter in the various leagues of the British Baseball Federation (BBF). The assessment this January indicated that the club would have enough players to enter three teams in the BBF adult leagues and entered the Herts Falcons in the National Baseball League, Herts Hawks in the Double-A League and Herts Raptors in the Single-A League.

The Herts Raptors and Herts Hawks roster sizes have reached the maximum limit

Since January Herts has seen an enormous number of new players joining the club’s adult league teams – a much faster growth compared to previous years. For the first time in the club’s history it has reached a point where the roster size of its Single-A and Double-A teams is too large and the managers would struggle to give players sufficient playing time if it increases any further. For example, Herts Raptors had 12 players sitting on the bench in a recent league game. On the basis of this the club has announced that any new players applying to join the Herts Hawks (Double-A) and Herts Raptors (Single-A) will be placed on a waiting list until a place opens up in one of those teams. There are still places available in the Herts Falcons (NBL) roster so that team will continue to welcome new players who meet the NBL criteria.

PLAYING OPPORTUNITIES FOR PLAYERS ON THE WAITING LIST

The club has pointed out that it will do everything possible to offer enjoyable and fulfilling baseball experience to new players while they are on the waiting list, including:

• The club is about to announce the launch of the Herts Recreational League, which will be played on Saturdays. This is an exciting announcement the timing of which is perfect.

• Players can register as Non-Roster members which entitles them to take part in Midweek Evening Baseball sessions and selected tournaments such as the Hunlock Series played in September and October.

• For those who are interested in playing softball while they wait for a place to open up in the Single-A or Double-A League teams, the Herts Softball programme can offer regular league and tournament play.

Players who have already been placed on the waiting list or have just contacted the club and are interested to find out more about the above playing opportunities, can contact the club for more details.

FORMING A 4TH HERTS ADULT LEAGUE TEAM

Herts Baseball Club  has started to plan the formation of a fourth Herts adult team to enter the BBF Single-A League. This will most likely happen in 2018, but the club has also submitted an official request to the BBF to be kept updated if another BBF Single-A team withdraws from the league with a view to taking their place to complete their 2017 league schedule, as soon as Herts is ready to enter a fourth Herts team.

HOW TO APPLY AS MANAGER OF THE 4TH HERTS TEAM?

The first step in this planning process is to invite candidates to apply for Manager of the fourth Herts adult league team. For more details about the role, including financial terms click here.

If you wish to apply for this role or if you have any questions, please contact the club.

 

by Rob Jones

Herts Hawks leave Redhawks blue

The Herts Hawks had a stand in manager for the day, their young catcher Hunter Devine, but the change did not disrupt their continuing unbeaten run.

The Hawks went charging out of the blocks in their AA-league game at home against the Brighton Redhawks, scoring 14 runs before the first inning was over. They went through the line-up twice.

Winning Hawks pitcher and manager

Devine ended the day 4-4 with the bat, while Gilberto Medina’s 3 hits drove in 5 runs. He came close to two more home runs (to add to one from the previous week), but hit the top of the fence both times.

The pitching win went to Ernie Ayala. It’s his second of the year, in his second start.

Hawks won 20-4 in five innings. They have now won 23 games in a row. Their next opponent is the East London Latin Boys, who have an unbeaten 7-0 record and lead the AA-league.

Continued offensive fireworks for Moises Velazquez of the Herts Falcons in the National Baseball League (NBL) gave them a great start away to the Brighton Jets.

His 2-run home run helped Herts lead 3-2 until the bottom of the fourth inning. But then young pitcher Tyler Badenhorst, who had been turning in a great performance, lost some of his control and the Jets pounced.

They piled up runs, including a walk-off grand slam homer, and won 15-4. Brighton also won the second game 15-5.

The Falcons showed off some impressive defense, with catches in centre-field from Jamie Warren and John Blose. But overall they were left rueing too many defensive errors.

The Herts Raptors were facing a tough challenge at home to the powerful London Musketeers in Single-A but they, too, took an early 3-2 lead.

Tom Carson at bat

Again, a grand slam home run turned things upside down and the visitors surged out to a 9-3 lead in the third inning.

But Herts fought back. Good defense prevented hits turning into runs. Shortstop Rob Jones made a diving stop to haul in a hit up the middle and secure an out, while rookie first baseman Will Pettitt made a superb sliding catch in foul ground.

The offense was powered by Tom Carson, driving in 6 runs with 6 hits. Ken Pike, playing his first game since an emergency appendectomy barely a fortnight ago, went 4-for-4 with the bat and stole 6 bases.

Herts took the lead in the bottom of the sixth, 15-13.

But another London homer struck the decisive blow in the next frame and although the Raptors rallied they ultimately went down 29-22.

Stand-in manager for the day Rob Jones was impressed: “The guys can take a lot of pride in that game. Scoring 22 runs against two excellent pitchers is brilliant work, and they gave everything in the field as well.”

Raptors are now 2-2 on the season and after a week off will travel to the Kent Mariners.

 

by Rob Jones

Raptors rally over Old Timers, as Herts do monster mash

It was a weekend of offensive fireworks for the Herts teams, perhaps inspired by the surprise arrival of some Spring sunshine. Five home runs and three wins were put in the bank.

Let’s start in Single-A, and start with a question. When was a Herts Raptors batter last given an intentional walk? And if you can answer that one, here’s another — when was the last time a Raptors batter was intentionally walked twice in the same game?

It was a fitting reward for a dominant offensive display by Ben Sinclair in Sunday’s home game against the Old Timers. His first at-bat produced an inside-the-park home run, the second a triple.

Before the third he mused about whether to aim for the cycle, and it was suggested that two home runs would look better on the write-up. It seems that Sinclair was listening, as he hit another inside-the-parker.

He reached on an error on his fourth plate appearance, but hit the ball hard so the Old Timers did not pitch to him again.

Michael Johnson, one of the top performers with the bat

This all suggests a rosy picture for the Raptors’ day in the sun at Grovehill, but actually they had started the game poorly. The Old Timers hadn’t managed to get a full team to the field, but the players they did have struck hard in the first two innings.

A handful of Herts defensive errors, and too much pressing at the plate, combined to give the visitors a 7-1 lead after two innings. The Old Timers were looking to make their experience pay.

Sinclair drove in three of the first four runs for the home team, but as the game went on more of the young Herts talent settled down and started to deliver, too.

Centre-fielder Michael Johnson went 4-for-6 with three RBIs, and was just a home run short of the cycle. The story was pretty much the same for Tom Carson, making his first ever appearance as catcher, whose four hits included a single, double and triple.

Veteran Arnie Longboy was doing sterling work on the pitching mound. A day after he played for Herts first ever softball team, the Buzzards, in their maiden competition, he threw over a hundred pitches for the Raptors.

He struck out four and walked only three before handing the ball over to Ben Sinclair for the final innings. Longboy helped his own case with four hits, and stayed in the game after an injury as the home side was also pretty short on players.

With improved defense, the Raptors made their superior numbers pay — and perhaps their youth, too. They scored runs in bunches in the second half of the game.

It ended 21-14 to the home side and the Raptors now move to 2-1 on the season.

Rob Jones, the stand-in manager for the day, paid tribute to the performance: “It was great to see the team come back from a bad start. Instead of getting down, they had confidence in their abilities and turned things around.”

Up in the AA-league, the Herts Hawks were stretching out their year-long winning streak to 22 games. Gilberto Medina hit the team’s first home run of 2017 to help them to a 22-6 win at the Guildford Mavericks.

Gilberto Medina struck a big blow for the Hawks

 

The Hawks’ joint manager, Greg Bochan, was back on the mound for the first time since the epic Single-A final at Farnham Park last year. On his return from a knee injury, he pitched a complete game and took the win.

The Herts Falcons of the National Baseball League were playing at home at Grovehill, hosting the London Capitals. A home run from Moises Velazquez was the big blast early in the first game to give Herts the lead.

It was tied at two apiece by the bottom of the fourth inning, when the Falcons scored six to blow it open. It ended 9-4. Young South African phenom Tyler Badenhorst got the win, with Darren Meintjes getting the save.

Cris Hiche drove a no-doubter over the fence at the start of game 2 of the double-header. But the Capitals came back, and a 2-run homer from their Ben Mercal in the top of the fifth gave them the lead.

The Falcons fought hard but came up short in this one, losing 7-5. They are now 3-6 on the year, and travel to Brighton next.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts Hawks breathing down Latin Boys’ necks after win over Marauders

Herts Hawks kept their winning streak going with a win against the London Marauders on Sunday and it is fair to say that this was their toughest test so far this season in the Double-A League.

Herts Hawks co-managers Andrew Slater and Greg Bochan were both away and they asked Andy Cornish to step into the manager’s role. Cornish is very familiar with being the manager of the Hawks having co-managed the team alongside Greg Bochan three years ago so there was no change of management style for the team.

The game saw the official league debut of father and son, Ernie and EJ Ayala, both of whom are major additions to the team this year. In the absence of starting pitchers Bochan and Slater, Ernie Ayala was given the responsibility of starting on the mound.

When you have not tasted defeat for 19 months there is a risk of becoming complacent, but the Hawks didn’t have time for much complacency as the Marauders struck in the top of the first inning to take a 3-0 lead. All winter the Hawks have been looking forward to the greater challenge of playing in the higher league, so in a strange way this early blow didn’t faze them and instead whet their appetite. Ernie Ayala took control from the mound and over the next four innings did not allow any London runs.

After being shut down in the bottom of the first, the Herts offense scored runs in each of the next six innings.  Michael Cresswell and Gilberto Medina had another good day at the plate. Herts took the lead in the third inning and extended it in the sixth, but the Marauders stayed in touch.  In the fourth inning the visitors brought in pitcher Billy Atkinson-Warne, a familiar face for Hawks fans having faced him in the epic 5-4 win in the Single-A League National Semi-Final last September when he was a member of the London Musketeers.  Atkinson-Warne proved to be just as effective as he was last year so it was something of a surprise that he didn’t start the game, especially given the fact that prior to this game he had not allowed any runs or hits so far this season. He also had a great day at the plate batting 3-for-3 with two doubles and 3 RBI which gives him a season batting average of 1.000 and season slugging average of 2.000.

After six innings of outstanding work, Ernie Ayala’s job was done. For the final 3 innings Louis Hare stepped onto the mound with a task of keeping the lead.  The Marauders certainly didn’t give up and stayed in the game right to the end thanks to some fine defensive plays including a Play of the Year nomination from Chris Gregory after a diving catch in left field. Hawks fans would probably say that the spectacular leaping catch by Dan Bartram or game-ending sliding catch by Ilya Dimitrov on opening day against the Daws Hill Spitfires were better, but it has to be said that there was much less margin for error in Chris Gregory’s head-first diving play.

Louis Hare shut the door on the Marauders in the final inning fittingly ending the game with a reflex catch on a line drive back to the mound and a final score of 14-9.

 

This was the visitors’ first loss of the season, but they shouldn’t be too worried as on Sunday’s display they will certainly be involved in the playoff race.

Next for the Hawks is an away game at the Guildford Mavericks this Sunday, 7 May. The game starts at 2pm. Can they keep their winning streak going and stay in touch with the East London Latin Boys who are also unbeaten and half a game ahead of the Hawks.

by Rob Jones

Raptors burn Inferno to spark their season

Herts Raptors 25-14 Bracknell Inferno, April 23rd 2017 – by Rob Jones

This victory by the Raptors, on the Opening Day of the Single-A season, was the perfect illustration of old and new working together.

One of the crucial runs to seal the deal in the bottom of the seventh inning was scored by Darren Butterworth, who had never played a league baseball game before. And he was driven in by Arnie Longboy, who’s been with the club for nigh on a decade.

Substitute catcher Brad Charalambous at bat

Somewhere neatly between the two categories is the fact that the actual winning run was scored by Arnie’s daughter Theo, a European champion at softball with the GB team, but new to baseball.

The Raptors had started slowly in the sporadic sunshine at Grovehill, with Bracknell’s hard-throwing pitcher Bruce Webb getting the best of the early exchanges.  He racked up three strikeouts and just one walk in the first inning.

But catcher Paul Auchterlounie got the first Herts hit in the second inning, and scored the first run. He ended the day 2-for-2 with a walk.

Third-baseman Tom Carson — another debutant in the Raptors lineup — closely followed him, and outfielder Joseph Osborne-Brade hit a double.

The Raptors kept their lead as the game wore on — 7-4 after three, 15-9 after five — but could never blow it open. Bracknell kept hitting against both starting pitcher Paul Barton, and reliever Longboy. And the two defenses were pretty even.

The top of the Herts order kept on walking and scoring steadily, with Matt Jackson and Rob Jones having 7 of each between them.

First baseman Giuseppe Basilea – making the step up from under-17 baseball – had perhaps the standout defensive play for Herts, in the top of the sixth. He caught a sinking line drive and immediately saw a chance to double off the Bracknell runner at second who had strayed too far.

Giuseppe Basilea at first base

He actually threw to third, but it didn’t matter. Because that was followed by the second-best defensive play as Ben Sinclair — yep, you guessed it, another rookie — quickly made a strong and accurate throw to second to nab the runner.

Bracknell had stayed close until the late innings, when Webb had tired and the fresh new Herts recruits came in to help stretch the lead. The Raptors scored 5 in the bottom of the sixth and needed 4 in the bottom of the seventh to secure a walk-off via the mercy rule.

Longboy Sr. duly delivered with a hit to right field, and the team celebrated. Both Bracknell and Herts had turned in strong performances to start their 2017, and are looking forward to what’s ahead.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Hawks’ winning streak still intact despite late Dragons surge

by Andrew Cornish at Grovehill Ballpark, Hemel Hempstead
photos by Rob Jones

I am here to tell you about a story that occurred on Sunday 23rd April, St George’s Day, between the unbeaten Herts Hawks and Richmond Dragons. The last time that the Hawks lost a game was in 2015, but with promotion to a higher league, would it be too much for the Hertfordshire-based team?

The start of the game was delayed due to traffic issues which affected the visitors from Richmond. When the game started Herts wasted no time in building a lead. Herts players were aggressive and their fielding and pitching were solid, which has been characteristic for the team throughout their winning run. After just three innings they were leading 12-1.

Richmond were able to pull back a few runs in the top of the fourth and again in the top of the sixth inning, reducing the lead to 7-14. The bottom of the sixth saw an interesting incident which prompted some quick decision-making. With one down and the bases loaded, Andy Cornish launched a towering pop-up, which eluded the Dragons shortstop. With Mike Cresswell tagging-up and breaking from third base after the ball had landed he reached home safely to score while Jon Lewys was forced out at second. The consistent and fair umpire called time and after a brief discussion with the managers, much like the top MLB umpires, corrected the initial call to ‘Infield Fly’ which meant that batter Andy Cornish was called out and the runners were sent back to their original bases, with no runs scored in that play. With two outs Gilberto Medina drove the second pitch of the at-bat for a double, which brought in two more runs and a total of four runs for Herts in that inning.

After completing 6 innings and throwing 91 pitches, Herts Manager Andy Slater was spent and decided to go to the bullpen, calling on Aspi Dimitrov to close the game out with the score at 18-7. Richmond bats came alive, the hits starting to land in gaps and errors from the normally consistent Herts fielders meant that Richmond pulled back an impressive 10 runs in the top of the seventh inning, with only 3 runs charged against Dimitrov. Herts were not able to reply in the bottom of the seventh, and the score remained 18-17. It was getting tense. The top of the eight was a more settled affair, with Herts able to hold Richmond scoreless to get back on track. The Hawks scored 2 runs in the bottom of the eight inning to increase the lead and Dimitrov was able to lock them down in the top of the 9th with a final score of 20-17.

View Box Scores

The game was exciting, with only one inning causing Herts some trouble but the team was able to regroup and finish off the game against a tricky and strong batting side. Extra credit should be given to the Richmond pitcher, Ben Carter, who seemed to have a rubber arm, throwing an amazing 196 pitches, as well as Hunter Devine for overcoming some extreme working conditions behind the plate.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

VIDEO: Herts Hawks open the 2017 season with a win over the Champions


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The Herts Hawks opened their 2017 season with a win away at the reigning BBF Double-A League Champions, Daws Hill Spitfires.  This was a major upset as the Hawks had just gained promotion from the Single-A League and were not expected to be able to compete against the champions. The game was played at Farnham Park and the final out was captured from a camera high up in the sky (see video).

by Cristobal Hiche

Herts Falcons sweep on Opening Day

Jarrod Pretorius marked his Herts Falcons debut with a home run (photo by Richard Lee richardleephotography.org)

by Cris Hiche, Grovehill Ballpark, Hemel Hempstead

As the saying in sports goes, a new season brings new hope! Herts Falcons were looking for this after a challenging 2016 season. Their addition of Jarrod Pretorius, Miguel Hector, and the return of Cris Hiche were a good improvement. Furthermore the youngsters were a year older, stronger, and with a year experience in the NBL under their belts. This had the fans bullish for this season. But all is fine on paper but this Sunday was the opportunity to test the team against a strong, young Brighton Jets team.

Harry O’Brien and Matt Gilbert were the starting pitchers for the Jets and Falcons respectively on a pleasant day conducive to a good game of baseball. Matt took the mound and looked poised for a great start by getting ahead 1-2 to leadoff Jacob Dean. However Jacob was able to square a pitch inside to send it over the fence and put their team quickly ahead. Oh no! Fans were already thinking this might be a very looooooong season ahead. However Matt Gilbert was able to finish the inning with only one run on the scoreboard. Now he was hoping his teammates would pick him up…and they did by scoring 2 runs in the bottom of the 1st. With the score 2-1 for the Falcons, the 2nd and top of the 3rd inning went scoreless. In the bottom of the 3rd, Cris Hiche put the first big smiles for the fans by connecting a 2-run homer and putting the Falcons 4-1 ahead. Meanwhile, fans were starting to enjoy some fine pitching by Matt as he was controlling batters with wicked control, crucial K’s, and when needed some great plays like John Blose in left field with a diving catch near the left side fence risking his body to catch the ball. The offense was slowly increasing the gap, including a bomb by Jarrod Pretorius to leave the score 7-1 in the bottom of the 5th. By the end of the game, Falcons celebrated their 1st victory of the year with a final score of 8-1. Everybody played very well both defensively and offensively. Generally, the home runs take the spotlight but the player of the match needs to be Matt Gilbert who pitched a gem not seen in many years in British baseball. Complete game, 2 hits allowed, 7K, and using only 107 pitches to do the job!! That’s a challenge for any pitcher to beat this year!

The 2nd game was a different story. Young starting pitcher Will Zucker started for the Falcons and quickly allowing some walks and the Jets capitalising with some key hits. Will Zucker was struggling with his command and although post-match interviews has him quoted as “It just wasn’t my day…”, sources tell us he was suffering from a hand injury which would have certainly affected his performance. Regardless, the Jets took advantage and were 5 runs ahead by the middle of the 1st inning. Manager Lee Manning had to even bring Jarrod to finish the inning. It was now going to be a long day for the bullpen. On the other hand, Jacob Dean started the 2nd game for the Jets and after 3 innings he had allowed only 1 run. Brighton was playing a sound game and it was almost a flip from the 1st game. Both teams playing well but Brighton capitalising the little advantages given by Herts and in the 4th they scored another one to make it 6-1 in the middle of the 4th. But then Herts got a lucky break when Jacob Dean developed some sort of cramp which sidelined him from the game. The Jets had to use their bullpen with Dan Whitton taking the mound. He was also doing well but soon the Jets went to relief pitcher Connor O’Shaughnessy. With Connor’s fastball a few mph slower than Dan and Jacob, the Falcons hitters were able to make adjustments at the plate and start to put the ball in play. Timely hits, some lucky bounces, and a great “See-ya-later” by Darren Meintjes meant putting 2 runs in the bottom of the 4th and 6 in the bottom of the 5th. That offensive punch put the Falcons ahead 9-6 changed the whole momentum of the game. The Falcons added some insurance runs in the bottom of the 6th with the final score of 11-6 for the Falcons. Worthy mentions for Miguel Hector who went 2-2, 3R, and Moises Vasquez with some nice defensive gems and starting the 1st double play of the season. However the player of the match goes to Darren Meintjes who went 2-5,HR,3RBI at the plate and pitched 5IP, 1R, 6K. Outstanding performance!

The Falcons will be tested this upcoming weekend when travelling to Southampton to face the reigning champions Mustangs who split their first two games against the London Mets.

Follow the Falcons and show your support through Twitter and attending the next home games!!!