The Herts Falcons put on a much improved performance away at the Essex Arrows but it was not enough to cause a major shock against one of the pace-setters in the National Baseball League this season.

Falcons starting pitcher Jack McCarthy limited the Arrows to only five hits in his five innings on the mound which gave his team a chance in the first game of this doubleheader. But they struggled to find a way past Essex’s pitcher, German Obando, who was in command from the start. In this fast-moving game which was completed in 1 hour and 53 minutes, the Arrows gradually extended their lead to 4-0. 

It wasn’t until the final inning of the game that the Herts offence came to life. The top three players of their batting line-up all reached base and clawed one run back against the Essex relief pitcher who came in to close the game.  A single from Matt Moran loaded  the bases with one out and the Herts players and travelling  fans were on their feet sensing an opportunity to win this game when everyone had written their chances off.  

Arrows manager, Eduardo Rodrigues, took urgent action and brought relief pitcher Juan Farrach in to put out the fire which he did by recording two quick outs. Final score 4-1.

Game One Box Scores

The second game of the doubleheader did not have the late inning drama of the first but the visitors performed much better than the 2-12 score line would suggest. 

Game Two Box Scores

The Falcons will certainly want to carry the positive signs from today to the next game, including the five hits in the second game, as well as the successful relief appearance by Alex Deacon in the first game.

The team is now three games back from the fourth-placed Sheffield Bruins who won a thriller in extra innings against the London Capitals. The Falcons are not out of the playoff chase and their performances indicate that they are gathering momentum, but they need to start picking up wins before the rest of the pack pulls away beyond their reach.

Their next game is at home this Sunday, 28 May, once again against the Essex Arrows. First pitch is at 1pm at Grovehill Ballpark and tickets are currently on sale here.

The Herts Falcons lost both games of their home series against the Sheffield Bruins which could prove to be critical at the end of the season.

Before the games, the Falcons were in fifth place, one game ahead of the Bruins who were sixth in the National Baseball League (NBL) standings. They had identified this series as key not only to pull away from the Bruins but to leapfrog the fourth-placed London Latin Boys and go into the playoff zone.

Game One was tied at 1-1 after three innings but Herts had a repeat of the previous week where a couple of bad innings allowed the opponent to run away with the game.  Player manager, Cris Hiche hit a solo home run late in the game but it wasn’t enough to mount a comeback and the game ended with a final score of 2-12. The winning pitcher for Sheffield was Elbis Avila who pitched a complete game allowing only four hits.

Game One Box Scores

While game one proved to be one-sided, the second game of the doubleheader provided intense late inning drama. The ballpark saw the highest attendance of the season so far, and those who stayed to the end were kept on the edge of their seats.

The Falcons took an early 1-0 lead and seemed to be in control but a crushing grand slam home run by Andrei Apostoaei put the Falcons on the back foot again. They tied the game with three runs in the bottom of the third but the Bruins responded immediately with another four runs in the fourth.

Bottom of the final inning. @HertsFalcons trailing 9-10. 2 outs. Bases loaded. Tying run on 3B. Winning run on 2B.

…but the @SheffBruins got the final out. Congratulations to them.

Thank you to all the fans who came to Grovehill Ballpark today. Fantastic support! pic.twitter.com/25c1I6ENzi

— Herts Baseball Club (@HertsBaseball) May 14, 2023

Patient at bats combined with hits by Cris Hiche, Fraser Duggan and Tetsuro Shinkawa brought the Falcons right back in the game. They loaded the bases with two outs in the final inning and the score 9-10 but Sheffield managed to get the final out and sweep the series.

Game Two Box Scores

Lovely afternoon watching @HertsBaseball. Very family friendly pic.twitter.com/2QLdAjAMag

— david goodier (@reddagoods) May 14, 2023

The game saw a large number of kids and families in attendance who were seeing a baseball game in person for the first time. The children played catch with their parents and many showed interest in coming to try baseball with the Herts youth teams. Growing the fan base and the Herts youth baseball programme was one of the aims of the club’s NBL Pilot Project. Will one of these boys and girls go on to play for the Herts Falcons in the NBL in a few years?

The team’s next game is on Sunday, 21 May, away at the Essex Arrows who are currently occupy second place in the NBL table. This is followed by the Falcons’ next home game on Sunday, 28 May, when the Arrows will come to Grovehill Ballpark. Tickets for the game are on sale here.

Herts Falcons manager Cris Hiche will have the task of lifting the players after this setback. Qualification for the postseason Playoffs is still in their own hands, but they need to start picking up wins, especially in the key matchups against direct opponents in the Playoff race.

The Herts Falcons played two games away at the East London Latin Boys on Coronation weekend and picked up their first win of the season.

Both teams went into this series with a record of no wins and four losses from their first four games, desperate for a win against a direct opponent in the battle to finish in the top four places.

The team from Hertfordshire took a 6-1 lead after three innings, which included two runs scored on two balks by pitcher Jose Martinez. This was only the second time that the Falcons have had a lead in a game this season but this time they held onto it to the end.

Good day at the plate, 2 for 4 with a two run HR and a two RBI triple in game 1.

4 RBI, 2 SB, 1 BB.

Great first win for @HertsFalcons pic.twitter.com/mvIHdd5560

— Ben Sporleder (@ben_sporleder) May 7, 2023

A 2-run home run by Ben Sporleder in the fifth inning and his 2-run double in the sixth extended the lead to 10-1.

Player-manager, Cristobal Hiche (pictured above), also went deep with a 2-run home run of his own to give his team’s pitching staff and defence a little more breathing room going into the closing innings of the game.

Starting pitcher Dan Moran was effective throughout, allowing only three hits in five and two-third innings. Relief pitcher, Tasuku Ishihara, came on to strike out Jeffrey Aguilar for the final out of the game with a final score of 12-2.

The team struggled defensively  in the first four games of the season but on this occasion the fielding was exemplary without any errors. It included two double plays involving middle-infielders Dylan Lawler and Tetsuro Shinkawa and several spectacular plays by left fielder, Ben Morris, who made his Herts debut.

In the second game the Falcons struggled with the bats against Latin Boys’ pitcher, Jorge Luis, who allowed only one hit and struck out 11 batters. They also struggled defensively allowing 13 runs in the second and third innings and there was no coming back from that. The final score 0-15.

Both teams will probably be happy to have picked up a win each which lifted them above the Sheffield Bruins into fourth and fifth place and very much in the thick of the battle for the four playoff places.

After the game, Falcons infielder, Rene Torcato, said that “the team will aim to take the positive momentum from today into the next game at home versus the Sheffield Bruins on Sunday, 14 May, which is another key series in the playoff race”.

Tickets for that game are currently on sale here.

The return for the Herts Falcons was an emotional and hugely positive moment, even if the results were not the stuff of dreams.

After a year out of British baseball’s top division in order to rebuild, the Falcons are back in the National Baseball League (NBL) for 2023 with a revamped roster and ethos. The team is at the forefront of Herts’ attempt to take the game in Britain on to a new footing.

Saturday (April 23) was the official home opener for Herts at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead, and came with plenty of trimmings. There were youth baseball games, ceremonies, a range of classic baseball food, and a real live announcer.

The kids from Sheffield Bruins, Nottingham Rebels and Northants Centurions who had joined Herts youth players for games at Grovehill in the morning took part in the Opening ceremony. They paired up with Falcons players in the lineup, high-fiving the adult players as they were introduced, and were there for the national anthem.

Our official photos of the #OpeningDay ceremonial first pitch of the @HertsFalcons 🆚 @LondonMets NBL game seem to be out of focus so we are asking fans who attended to send us theirs.

Here is one we received.

Thank you and keep sending them in.#Baseball @BritishBaseball pic.twitter.com/buRJJxXdMv

— Herts Baseball Club (@HertsBaseball) April 24, 2023

They also threw out the Opening Pitch. This is an established and popular tradition in US baseball, often featuring celebrities, and Herts has created its own special tradition by getting increasing numbers of kids involved.

Between the two games, a race for fans of all ages – from 6 to 60 year olds.

The winner was an 11-year-old Herts youth player.

He wins a cheeseburger 🍔 pic.twitter.com/0g6KjVGktS

— Herts Baseball Club (@HertsBaseball) April 22, 2023

Some of the young players joined parents and fans in a sprint race between the two games of the double header, with the prize of a burger at stake. An Under-11 Herts star was the victor. Later in the day, several youth players put dedicated work into trying to catch a foul ball – as that would also win them a hot dog from the revamped club concessions stand!

Herts was delighted to also have a new PA announcer to oversee all of this. Gabriel Fidler has been colour commentator for a top U.S. sports programme at Lee University, as well as for college baseball in New England, and for youth events at the 2019 MLB London Series.

Fidler, who has only recently returned from covering GB Baseball’s adventures at the World Baseball Classic, said he was “thrilled” to join Herts as the club’s first public address announcer.

“The NBL pilot project is ambitious”, he said. “With the return of MLB clubs to Britain for this year’s London Series and the success of Great Britain at the WBC, enthusiasm for baseball in the UK is at an all-time high. Herts is positioned to take a leading role and I look forward to playing a small part in its endeavours”.

The opponents for this NBL double-header could not have been tougher, the defending champion London Mets. The visitors scored early and often, but the Falcons’ starting pitcher Alex Deacon picked up a couple of strikeouts, and Harry Quixley hit a double.

In Game 2 of the double-header, there were hits for Alex Paterson and Tez Shinkawa. Falcons manager Cris Hiche was also able to stabilise the game when he came in as a relief pitcher to steady things after a rough start.

Hiche was very much taking the positives from a day when the scores were 19-0 and 16-0 but some key elements of the Falcons roster were away at an international tournament. “The results don’t reflect the hard work put in by the team. We’re young and still learning how to play together”, he said. “For example, many of the errors were just the product of miscommunication. With time we will improve and bounce back. No doubt we will have much better games this season.”

The feedback on new arrangements at Grovehill was positive. 46 tickets were issued for the game, with visiting players and coaches added on top of that the make the total attendance. Seating was set up for the fans at key viewing points. Tickets for the Falcons season ahead are on sale, both as individual game tickets, and batches for the whole season.

Herts President Aspi Dimitrov said “The club wants fans to experience the excitement of the playoff race, and the players and coaching staff are determined to bounce back.” More elements will be added in future weeks and Dimitrov added: “the Game Day product will get better with every game.”

The Herts Falcons are aiming to get back in the playoff race, starting with their next fixture away at the Latin Boys.

Last month the British Baseball Federation (BBF) released the 2023 league schedules. The Herts Falcons were scheduled to play their home opener on 22 April versus the London Mets. On March 28th, due to unforeseen circumstances beyond the BBF’s control the schedule of the National Baseball League (NBL) had to be redrafted. On March 29^th, Herts Baseball Club notified the BBF that, when redrafting the schedule, the earliest date when Grovehill Ballpark will have the facilities to host an NBL game is 22 April – the date of their home opener in the original NBL schedule.

On 6 April the BBF released the revised NBL schedule informing the Herts Falcons that it has not been possible to fit all the games at other venues on 16 April and as a result have scheduled the Herts Falcons to play the London Capitals at Grovehill Ballpark on that date. Herts submitted a number of solutions to the BBF to address the issue including a swap of Falcons vs Capitals home and away fixtures.

Last night the British Baseball Federation confirmed its decision that all of those solutions are not feasible and the Herts Falcons have been ordered to play their NBL doubleheader versus the London Capitals on Sunday, 16 April, at Grovehill Ballpark.

This week contractors are carrying out renovation work at Grovehill Ballpark which is expected to affect all toilet facilities and as a result the games will be played behind closed doors. Fans are advised not to come to the venue. The event will not feature any of the game day elements planned for the NBL Pilot Project.

Another reason why Grovehill Ballpark will not be able to host fans on 16 April is that key components of the NBL Pilot Project such as spectator seating, catering supplies and contactless card terminal are scheduled for the week of the original Falcons NBL home opener on 22 April.

Opening Day is a celebration to mark the start of the new season, however it is not possible to celebrate it behind closed doors without the fans. The doubleheader this Sunday will not be treated as Opening Day.

For the Herts Falcons, the official Opening Day of the 2023 baseball season will be on Saturday, 22 April, when they will host the London Mets. The event will be ticketed and will feature all of the elements of the NBL Pilot Project and the festivities of Opening Day.

Now that the revised NBL schedule has been finalised, ticket sales for the remaining Herts Falcons home games will be launched shortly.

When we announced the NBL Pilot Project we received positive feedback from members of the BBF Board and we also noted that a semi-professional NBL was one of the goals in the “Our Future 2023-2035” BBF document. In the future we very much hope that the BBF will be able to recognise when clubs and their members are making an enormous sacrifice and are investing resources and time to raise the level of British Baseball on and off the field, and support those clubs rather than making it more difficult for them to make that step up.

This huge setback and disappointment does not diminish our enormous gratitude and respect for all of the work and time which BBF Board members and staff put into the running and development of British Baseball.