Category: Adult Leagues

by Cristobal Hiche

Herts Falcons make it 8 wins in a row. New generation of Falcons makes NBL debuts

Carlos Casal Jr (above) and Conner Brown (pictured below) made their NBL debuts for the Falcons

by Cristobal Hiche

On paper it was expected to be an easy outing for the league-leading Herts Falcons against the Essex Redbacks, for whom this is a first year in the NBL. But the games need to be played and underdogs can always sneak an unexpected victory. Well, it wasn’t the case. Falcons got two necessary victories to maintain their position at the top of the league. Herts looked very effective getting the necessary runs to get a comfortable lead and then relying on their solid pitching and defence to do the rest.

The first game saw Falcons winning it 6-2 suggesting a very close game. Indeed the score doesn’t lie however it never felt that way. Essex Redbacks could never really start a rally and put pressure on the Falcons. Herts looked to be in control during the entire game thanks to great pitching by Darrin Ward who pitched a complete game. Everybody was hitting well but special mention to John Blose who was on fire this Sunday and got the first big hit of the day with a deep double to left field. Falcons were hitting solid grounders and line drives but Redbacks played good defence to stop some of those laser beams. Herts took the opportunity to call up Herts Harriers/Ravens/GB players Carlos Casal Jr and Conner Brown for their first taste of the NBL with the Falcons. This was also the debut of Conner in the NBL. They took the opportunity and both played solid games both defensively and offensively.

 

The second game was more of the same. Falcons took an early lead with many multi-base hits which allowed to quickly put players in scoring position. Xavi Gonzalez started the game with a triple which set the tone for the game. Jordan Farkas pitched another solid 1-run complete game, mixing quite well between his fastball and his repertoire of breaking balls to keep the Redbacks at bay. Defensively they also took advantage of the fielding conditions. The outfield grass was quite long killing any ground ball hit to the outfield. Right fielder Carlos Velazco-Carus was aggressive charging each ball going his way and was able to make the out at first base on more than one occasion.

After the game Herts Falcons manager, Lee Manning, was happy about the victories and said: “We are happy that we have an 8-game winning streak going on and hope to extend it to a 10-game winning streak next week. The team played solid with good hitting by everyone and was happy to see many multi-base hits which hopefully can continue to do so next week”. He also said a few words about the players’ performances, “…everybody did great today. Both Darrin and Jordan pitched really well but I want to specially mention Carlos Jr and Conner, our U17 players, who did really well today. It’s not easy to step into the best team in the league and perform at the highest level of baseball in the UK. Thanks for coming down and helping us win two important games”.

The games didn’t really offer any highlights and at all times it looked like a Falcons team determined to win but not pushing too hard to avoid unnecessary injuries and stay healthy for the upcoming games. Pitching was great as usual, giving manager Lee Manning a welcoming dilemma. He has four excellent starters and of course only 2 games to play on a given weekend. However, let’s give credit to a Redbacks team who are finding their feet in the NBL and they never gave up. They finished strong and tried to close the gap, when many other teams would have given up being 10-1 behind. They even looked to make harder contact than much stronger NBL teams who have recently played against the Falcons.

Herts have a difficult weekend against the reigning champions Harlow Nationals. Last time they played Herts was able to sweep them convincingly. However Nationals will be determined to reverse history and more importantly make sure they don’t get into playoff troubles. Two losses might jeopardise their playoff chances. Meanwhile, Herts Falcons will try to extend their winning streak and ensure they stay on top of the league since the Mets and Mustangs are making sure they are still in the hunt for first place. So a perfect opportunity for baseball fans to come to Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead this Sunday, 30 June, for what is expected to be another clash of the titans between two of the big guns in the league.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts Ravens keep playoff hopes alive

Mike Cattermole had a good game for the Ravens pitching a complete game without any earned runs (photo by Will Baxter)

The Herts Ravens have kept their hopes of qualifying for the AAA League playoffs alive after splitting their doubleheader with the Richmond Knights.

BBF AAA League (Game1): Herts Ravens 7 Richmond Knights 6 (click to view box scores)

The Ravens went into the game looking to extend their 4-game winning streak. Manager Carlos Casal was on the DL and Louis Hare was once again in charge of the team. He led by example producing yet another outstanding pitching performance, but Richmond made it difficult putting together 5 hits and scoring 5 runs in the fifth inning to take a 6-2 lead. It seemed like the game was out of reach for Herts but they somehow managed to reproduce the incredible comeback from the game at Oxford 7 days ago. Dace Westfallen, Jonathon Lewys, Gilberto Medina and Aspi Dimitrov each came through with a hit to put the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position, but there were two outs and all the pressure fell on the young shoulders of first baseman, Kyle Lloyd-Jones. The Great Britain Under-19 National Team player drove a bullet through the infield to bring in two runs giving the Ravens a 7-6 lead. He went 3-for-4 with 4 RBI in that game.

Louis Hare kept his composure and closed the game in the bottom of the final inning in a dramatic come-from-behind win for Herts.

BBF AAA League (Game2): Herts Ravens 5 Richmond Knights 2 (click to view box scores)

The Ravens were unable to keep the momentum going in the second game. Richmond pitcher, Julio Malpica, had an outstanding game allowing only 2 runs on 3 hits. Matt Spaulding had two of those hits and Kal Dimitrov had the other for Herts.

2 runs could have been enough for the Ravens as Mie Cattermole pitched a gem of a game. He allowed only 6 hits and no earned runs. It was only the defensively shaky third and fourth inning which cost Herts dearly.

The two runs in the sixth inning reduced Richmond’s lead to 5-2 and the stage was set for another dramatic Ravens comeback, but it wasn’t to be. Malpica held on for the win.

After this round of games, the Ravens are in sixth place. The odds are against them but their good run has given them a hope of reaching the playoffs. They are 4 games back on the playoff places with 12 games to play. They will need to win 2 out of every 3 games between now and the end of the regular season to stand a chance. They have won 6 of the last 10 so they are more less on track, but need to maintain that momentum.

Update: 24 hours after the game the Ravens received the bad news that pitcher Louis Hare has fractured his elbow in two places playing football. It is uncertain how long it would take for him to return to action. Initial estimates suggest between 3 and 6 weeks as a minimum, but could be as long as 3 months. The one positive is that it is not his throwing arm so he may be able to return as a pitcher with another batter batting for him as a designated hitter.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Young Eagles go down in battle with Old Timers

Will Duncan Hoyle be the 2013 Herts Eagles Home Run Champion after he picked up an inside-the-park-homerun against the Old Timers?

BBF A-League, Old Timers 28 Herts Eagles 17

Report by Michael Cresswell

After last week’s defeat by the Herts Raptors, the Eagles were determined to come back with a win and their opposition was the Old Timers who were also coming to Grovehill from a defeat.

The Old Timers record was misleading as they were currently 1-6 but with every game coming close and only losing by 5 to the Milton Keynes Coyotes the previous week the Eagles had to be at their best. The Eagles would also be missing their manager Duncan Hoyle so taking over today was Joseph Osbourne-Brade who would be making his managerial debut.

Starting on the mound for the Eagles would be Mike Cresswell who was making his first start as the starting pitcher while the experienced Tony Smyth would be taking the mound for the Old Timers.

The game started with a shaky few pitches from Mike Cresswell but found his groove after the first by striking out the side in the 2nd. On the batting side, the Eagles were getting on base with a lovely extra base hit from Serge Plata and other hits from Tom Kosak, Jamie Lang, Will Belbin and the ever reliable Adrian Smithers but unfortunately were stranding them on base. By the third inning however the runs were coming through for the Eagles and the game was a very close 7-5.

As the game progressed through the innings the Eagles were suffering still from leaving men on base however the Old Timers were slowly gaining runs making it 19-5 in the top of the 6th. But the bottom of the 6th showed the Eagles were not going to die out and with hits from nearly everyone including Duncan Hoyle (Who had arrived by the 6th) and a very strong hit to the fence from James Holt, the Eagles were generating runs and swinging the momentum into their favour, bringing it back to 19-10.

After pitching 6 innings, giving up 15 earned runs and striking out 8 batters, Mike Cresswell’s day was done on the mound and Jamie Lang came into relief for the Eagles and pitched a great first inning, only giving up one run and still keeping the momentum going for the Eagles. The 7th inning was almost a repeat of the previous, with more hits and another walk to the tally of Adam Landau-Smithers who came around to score, the game was 20-14 meaning this game would go on to at least another inning of enjoyment for both teams.

The 8th inning started with a strong amount of runs for the Old Timers with hits from Hector Correa-Amundarain, Billy Gibney and Richard Turpin helping them to score more runs to solidify their lead. The Eagles were determined to still score runs however with even more hits from Jamie Lang and Serge Plata who had great days at plate, but the game included something which has not happened to the Eagles this season. With Plata and Lang on base, Duncan Hoyle managed to hit an impressive inside the park home run to deep center field, making him currently the HR leader of the Eagles. However it was just not enough runs to keep the game going and the Eagles were beaten by the Old Timers with a score of 28-17.

The game was played with full enjoyment from both teams and though the Eagles may have left many on base, the error count was very low and everyone had a great day. Also a special thanks goes to Joseph Osbourne-Brade not only for managing in his debut but for also umpiring the entire game fairly and very well.

 

by Ken Pike

Raptors rapture at the expense of soaring Eagles

Young Eagles Star Mike Cresswell was an ever present stealing threat despite the attentions of the pitcher and catcher

At the halfway stage of the 2013 single A season both the Eagles and Raptors are still in with a good chance of making the playoffs. The Raptors sit joint top of their group fighting for either an automatic buy through the first round or at least the first wildcard spot. The Eagles sit a game off the last wildcard spot with very winnable games to see out the end of the season hunting for playoffs. While the Raptors wanted to prove that the Eagle’s victory earlier in the season was a one-off, the Eagles were out to prove exactly the opposite. Winning this fixture was about pride, position and bragging rights.

Weather forecasts throughout the week had spelled that this fathers day fixture would not happen, but the British Summer did its part for once and remained dry meaning the game could go ahead as planned.

Both teams unsurprisingly delivered their strongest lineups with the Eagle’s bringing Andrew Slater to the mound while the Raptors turned to their young mainstay Zac Longboy. In a match between two of the biggest scoring teams of the season a high scoring game was assured….

…but…

The last thing anyone expected was for the game to start as a pitching duel. Zac closed out the Eagle’s offense in order for the first inning, and the Raptors could be forgiven for a wry grin appearing at that stage thinking they could crack open an early lead. Nothing of the sort ensued as the fired up Eagles defense turned the table on the usually dominant raptors offense who got the same treatment they had just given the nominal visitors. What’s more, the second and third innings were more of the same with only a run per inning being scored by the Raptors, who had not been held to that low a score over the opening three innings of any game this year. Whether a mixture of nerves, or Andrew Slater’s tantalising looping ball not being as easy to hit as it appeared, or a solid defense that were showing the tenacious attitude that had gotten the relatively inexperienced team to within one game off a wildcard position, no one’s bats were delivering much on either side.

The first score of the day came courtesy of Ken Pike [yours truly] who managed to get himself on base in the second inning and in usual fashion worked himself around the bags in short order to put himself in scoring position. A big pop by young Brodie Caress looked to clear both in and outfield, but Pike sensibly held up just off third for long enough to see it would be caught. He tagged up at manager (and then third basecoach) Arnie Longboy’s franticly shouted commands before taking off for home and opening the Raptors’ scoring account.

Some great plays, notably an awesome diving catch by Sony Llama at third, some well caught pop fly balls, and some sharp plays from the infield meant the Raptors defence stayed strong in the second inning. A dropped pickoff attempt at second even went their way as the runner attempting to capitalise by heading for third got picked off by the backup throw signalling that things were just not going the way of the Eagles.

Some light entertainment came half way through the game as one of the local youths attempting to do tricks on his moped just outside the field managed to overturn the bike on himself, raising rapturous applause from both benches interrupting Slater’s pitch and causing umpire Ben Marques (also chuckling at the youth’s misfortune) to offer a mulligan pitch.

As the innings stretched on and Zac Longboy’s dominance on the mound continued with a total of five strikeouts, closing out the Eagles for four consecutive innings. Meanwhile the Raptors drip-feed of scoring runs managed to prise the narrowest of margins out whilst taking their toll on Slater’s arm. A crushing homerun over left field for Jim Arnott spelled the beginning of the end for the Eagles, scoring himself and Jeff Whitter as part of a four run inning that put daylight between the two sides.

To stem the flow Eagles manager Duncan Hoyle took the mound, but the Raptors offense had already smelled blood. The fifth inning notched up another five runs with a triple for Theo Scheepers. Sony Llama added hitting to his dramatic performances of the day nailing a blast that bounced agonisingly off the fence a bare foot short of a second homerun of the day leaving him with just a double. While the Eagles clawed back three runs over two innings with ever present base stealing that the fast and determined side bring to every game, the Raptors brought in a further seven in the sixth.  Zac Longboy made way for closer Will Zucker, whose dangerous sidearm curveball has been the woe of many a batter, shut down the seventh but for solitary eagles scorer. He also added to the score with a powerful shot down the line and a dash of youthful speed getting him a triple. The Eagles continued with fantastic tenacity throughout ensuring that it was never a done deal (both sides all too aware that comebacks were far from rare), but it was not to be enough on the day.

The final play of the game, with runners on first and third,  Raptors catcher Pike threw a fake pickoff to Zac Longboy who had taken over at short instead of trying to gun down the steal attempt. Eagle Mike Cresswell was fooled into attempting to run home but instead found the ball beating him there on the short throw back. His attempt to run through the well armoured catcher who carried a 4 stone weight advantage didn’t go so well and he found himself hanging in Pike’s arms gazing longingly at the home plate…still a good yard away.  The 15 run advantage was enough to bring the mercy rule into effect allowing the Raptors some solace over their previous defeat and Zac Longboy walking away with another addition to his rapidly growing collection of game balls adding weight to an early but loud call for MVP.

Raptor’s coach Arnold Longboy praised his team’s clinical performance: “I’m really proud of the team and how we executed on the field.  We of course had great pitching but more importantly we had the fewest errors yet for the season.  Combined with great cut off execution and fielding tactics we held an excellent Eagles hitting team to their lowest run production yet.  Also one of the challenges I put to the team  before the game started was to limit base running mistakes.  In this regard we also shined and it made the difference in the early part of the game.  If we continue in this fashion we should do well for the rest of the season.”

Eagles coach Duncan Hoyle meanwhile challenged his side to go on from the encouraging display to fight for a spot in the postseason: “I know the guys tried their guts out to beat the Raptors, and that is commendable, but ultimately we have proven we can get better results and we simply didn’t do that today. We know we can beat teams who are at the top of the tables, the Raptors included, and we need to get back into the groove of doing that for the last few games of the season so we have a real shot at the finals. We need to eliminate the errors that still plague us, as without that we won’t be able to stay in contention for the playoffs.  I will be expecting everyone on the team to redouble their efforts, raise the bar several notches and make sure that whatever the post season brings we do it in a blaze of glory, not rueing what could have been had we applied ourselves fully.”

The record between the two teams now stands at 1-1 for the season. Raptors will point out a preseason win edging the stats in their favour, but with both teams in the hunt for playoffs, could a competetive decider be played under knock-out conditions? Wait and see what August brings.

by Ken Pike

What’s in a halfway point? The Single A playoff scenarios.

by Ken Pike

Halfway through the season for the Raptors and Eagles and both teams are well within the expectations placed upon them at the start of the season. In the Eagles’ case it is fair to say they are well ahead of expectations bearing in mind the number of genuine rookies on the squad. However, the playoff picture is far from clear.

These are the playoff rules: 12 teams in three pools play in single A South. The two best pool winners get first round bye into the NBC. 3rd pool winner (#3 seed) and next 3 best teams based on win %, regardless of pool play wild card round on September 1st, with the Semi Finals and Championship game at Farnham Park on September 7th and 8th. As in all leagues, all teams will be seeded based on win % to establish post season ranking.

Excluding the Leicester – Redbacks result which hasn’t been filed yet the current league standings are as follows:
Marauders 6-2 (fewer runs per game conceded than MK)
Coyotes 6-2 (HTH win v Raptors)
Blackjacks 4-3
——————–
Raptors 6-2
Mavericks 4-2
Tonbridge 4-4
=============
Archers 2-3
Eagles 3-5 (1-0 v 2Sox/Redbacks)
2Sox 2-4 (0-0 v Eagles/Redbacks)
Redbacks 2-4 (0-1 v Eagles/2Sox)
Dukes 2-5
Old Timers 1-6

As you can see, the pool leaders are Coyotes, Blackjacks and Marauders in A, B and C pool respectively.

Pool A

The Raptors are neck and neck with the Coyotes, with only the head to head loss earlier this season between them. Furthermore, the Coyotes go to Grovehill next week where the winner will put daylight between themselves and the rest at the top of pool A. The Eagles are behind in the race for the group, but are well in the running for playoff places, only a game behind the last wildcard spot.

Pool B

Pool B is pretty close with the Blackjacks heading the group but the Archers’ two games in hand able to draw them level. Having won a game each the tiebreaker between them would be down to runs conceded.

Pool C

In pool C the Mavericks can yet tie with the Marauders as they have two games in hand. The rest of the teams will struggle to catch up with the significant lead those two teams have or can build.

The Raptors and Mavericks are in pole position for the wildcards at the moment (or if results go their way, the teams they replace at the top of their pools over the coming weeks). Tonbridge close out the last wildcard spot, but are in shaky grounds due to having forfeited a game, which as I understand it acts as first tiebreaker against a team.

Close behind them, the Archers, having played only 5 games so far can overhaul both Tonbridge and Mavericks if they win those extra ties. The Eagles meanwhile have no games in hand, but are only 1 game back. They have also faced most of the league leaders already so their season run in could certainly be a lot worse.

Behind the Eagles, the 2Sox, Redbacks, Dukes and Old Timers will need results to go in their favour as well as drastic turnarounds to their own seasons to stand any chance of reaching the knockout stages. While Pool B remains close, allowing for each of them to get through by virtue, it is also likely that this pool will not be the source of the wildcard places, while stronger competition at the top of A & B will be the real battlefield.

Furthermore, each of the main contenders has yet to play each other at least one more time meaning that the ultimate destiny for each of them remains in their own hands. Victory across the board for any one team will guarantee finals, but throw in the usual suspects of team availability, the British weather and pure blind luck and you have the ingredients for a perfect British Baseball season.

It may still be far too early to have a clear understanding of what the playoffs will look like, but what is also certain is that the picture will become a lot clearer over the next two or three weeks as the amount of time remaining to catch up reduces.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Ravens sweep leaders to cause biggest upset in AAA League season so far

Herts Ravens starting pitcher Louis Hare is now 2-0 for the season

Despite picking up two wins 7 days ago, the Herts Ravens were still languishing in the bottom end of the standings when they travelled to Oxford to face the AAA League leaders. The odds were stacked heavily against the Ravens and not even the most optimistic Herts fans would have predicted the eventual outcome of this Sunday’s doubleheader.

AAA League (Game1) Herts Ravens 6 Oxford Kings 4 (click to view box scores)

Manager Carlos Casal was unable to travel with the team after he aggravated his knee injury in the closing moments of last week’s game with the Leones. He had given his instructions to stand-in manager Louis Hare and one of those instructions was Hare to start on the mound in game 1. His last pitching outing was outstanding securing a 5-2 win against the red-hot Badgers. The team would need a similar performance to stay in the game and Louis Hare did not disappoint. Despite finding himself 4-1 down after 3 innings he shut the Kings out putting zeros in the next 4 innings.

Inside-the-park homerun by Xavier Gonzalez got the energy back into the Herts Ravens (photo by Will Baxter)

Time was running out and he needed some run-support. It came in the form of a 2-out inside the park home run by shortstop Xavier Gonzalez. That fired up the whole team. In the sixth inning they produced a big rally once again with two outs. Hits from Carlos Velazco-Carus (1-3, 2RBI, SB), Vassil Botev (1-4, SB) and again Xavier Gonzalez (3-4, 3RBI, HR, SB) contributed to a 4-run inning to give Herts a 6-4 lead.

Louis Hare, with solid support from his defence, shut the door on the Kings to secure a very satisfying come-from-behind win.

Liam Green shutout the Kings today (photo by Will Baxter)

AAA League (Game2) Herts Ravens 13 Oxford Kings 0 (F/5) (click to view box scores)

17-year-old Liam Green was the starting pitcher for Herts in the second game. The youngster from Hemel Hempstead has grown up with the Herts Baseball organisation from the age of 11 and he is now starting to add control to go along with his very strong arm. One-after-another the Oxford batters struggled to make any kind of solid contact. Any pitches which they managed to put in play were picked up by a Ravens defence which was outstanding the whole day. The team committed only 1 error in the first game of the day and no errors in the second game.

Oxford were also solid defensively committing only 1 error, but a combination of 10 hits and 9 walks cost them as the visitors from Hertfordshire built up a 13-0 lead. Jon Lewys stood out with the bat hitting 3-for-3 with 2 RBI.

Liam Green stayed strong until the end pitching a 2-hitter, complete game shutout. Most importantly he walked only 3, a sign that he is gradually becoming a pitcher rather than just a thrower.

Manager Carlos Casal was kept abreast of events in Oxford and was delighted with the result. “I am very proud of the whole team. Great work. I just wish I was there” said Casal.

The win lifts the Herts Ravens into 6th place in the standings with a 5-9 record. It is still very difficult to imagine that they can turn a nightmare 1-9 start of the season and sneak into the playoff positions, but if they continue to play flawless baseball as they did today, we could be looking at the most amazing comeback in sport.

 

by Rob Jones

Greetings from Wilderness Park

My aching muscles and joints — including those in my typing fingers — have finally recovered enough from my outing a fortnight ago against the Richmond Dukes, writes Rob Jones, that I can now share a few thoughts on the game. In fact, since I have now begun a forced month-long break from the game due to work, it’s a good time to reflect on the year so far.

Let’s start at the end, with the defeat by Richmond. It was a frustrating game for us all as, despite a good start, we didn’t ever lay a finger on them. We knew we had to try to get a good pitcher out of his rhythm and out of the game and we never did that. Instead, he stayed in charge. We hurt ourselves with some bad base-running which killed rallies – twice we were out trying to steal third. Fundamentals can help you win games, and also save you from losing them.

Mike Cresswell
One of the Eagles stars, Mike Cresswell, keeps up morale

My own batting was disappointing again. In my previous outing — another two weeks ago — I had started to get the better of things with some good drives. I felt that I was the baseball equivalent of stainless steel – I was rust free. Not perfect, by any means, but after a good run of games there were no flaws which could be blamed on a lack of action.

However, now I  made more clunky contact off the tip and handle of the bat, escaping with just one infield single (I reached base twice, but I assume one was scored as an error). I think my average for the season thus far is .458 (depending how you interpret a couple of plays it could be as high as .608, but I try to be firm and fair!) with my OBP at .608. So it’s certainly respectable but it’s the mis-hits that bother me. There’s nothing you can do about solid hits which find a glove, but little dribblers on the infield are never going to get the job done.

In the field, I am much more happy with the way the year has gone so far. I’ve played mainly second base which is fine by me, it suits me well. But I have taken decent outfield catches too, and even threw out a runner from shortstop this week. It wasn’t exactly text book – I managed to dive in the dirt towards third base to grab a ground ball , and fired off the throw as quickly as I could. Therefore it seemed to bounce about four times, but either the runner was slow or he had set off slowly because he thought it was through — either way, we got him! While my muscles may have stopped aching, the skin I tore off my arm to make the play has not yet grown back.

And I have to say a quick word about my two innings of pitching, too. It’s my second outing of the season, and was a lot of fun. I actually felt that I threw the ball better against Tonbridge, even though I made just 2/3 of an inning that time. This time two infield flies helped, and two strikeouts — only the second and third of my pitching career!

I also managed to hit the front edge of the plate twice, making the ball pop straight up in the air and into the catcher’s waiting glove. Remarkably, Slater had pulled off the same trick in his innings. Tell me honestly, have you ever seen that three times in one game?? Anyway, enough about pitching for now. It might demand a whole article in the near future!

Rob Jones
Rob Jones in one of his better at-bats

Instead, let’s talk about the Eagles. Sitting pretty at just one game under .500, with more than 140 runs scored, is more than anyone could surely have hoped for a team with so many genuine rookies. As a new boy to the team — if not to much else — I am really impressed by the enthusiasm, spirit and camaraderie on the Eagles. Games have been fun to play. A lot of the credit goes to the manager Duncan Hoyle. He has led from the front, taking pitching duties, hitting well, and using his resources cannily to help win.

There have been many moments to remember:

• The mobbing of Will Belbin as he scored the winning run against the Raptors in the rain. Great drama in a walk-off, no matter whether it is British Single-A, or the US Major Leagues.

• Five of us gathering comically at the third base coaches box to shout at Adrian Smithers to hold up as he ran enthusiastically for home. He said he didn’t hear so well in the batting helmet, so we were there to help.

• The self-same Smithers coming through time and again with the bat, and limping desperately round the bases to help the cause. For those of you old enough to remember, it was reminiscent of England’s Terry Butcher in the famous World Cup qualifier against Sweden.

• MVP candidate Mike Cresswell going half way from third base on a fly ball, returning to the base once he realised it had been caught, then loudly declaring “F**k it”, tagging and sprinting for home anyway. Gung-ho. He made it.

• My closest moment yet to a home run, at Essex. Not sure I will ever hit one but it seems this was my best effort so far! I wasn’t looking, as I had my head down going for two once I knew it was clearing the left fielder, but as I pulled up they said “You were robbed”. A ground rule double, then *sad face*

And so, I trudge off to the baseball wilderness for a few weeks as the Eagles surge on without me. Hopefully the English summer will hold off just enough to allow for a few more games and a few more wins. Though not so many that they don’t want me back!

I have managed to get in a little private training — which amounts to throwing a ball against the wall in the local park – and hopefully I might make some sessions at Grovehill. Either way, I will hope to build on what has been an enjoyable season so far, and one which still promises much more.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Sunday’s Falcons vs Pirates NBL game has been moved to August

It has been confirmed that this Sunday’s National Baseball League game between the Herts Falcons and the South London Pirates has been moved to Sunday, 11 August. The venue, Roundshaw Park in Croydon, remains unchanged.

While the Falcons and the Pirates rest this weekend, 6 other teams are in action.  The London Mets travel to the Lakenheath Diamondbacks. If they win both games they would be tied at the top with the Falcons.  Southampton also have a chance to go neck and neck with Herts if they sweep against the Harlow Nationals in their doubleheader.  That will not be easy as the Nationals appear to have regained the form which saw them win the NBL championship in the last two seasons.

NATIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE

STANDINGS (as at 13 June 2013)

 

Team W L Pct GB RF RA
Falcons 12 4 .750 – 116 58
Mets 9 3 .750 1 81 36
Mustangs 11 5 .688 1 114 55
Nationals 9 7 .563 3 115 75
Diamondbacks 7 7 .500 4 62 79
Blazers 7 9 .438 5 97 107
Arrows 7 9 .438 5 102 113
Pirates 4 10 .286 7 72 118
Redbacks 2 14 .125 10 61 179

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

American reinforcements lead Blackjacks to a nail-biting win over the Eagles

BBF A-League, Herts Eagles 7 Haverhill Blackjacks 8

report by Duncan Hoyle

 

Herts Eagles made the long trip over into Suffolk to take part in the first meeting between a Herts team and the newly fromed Haverhill Blackjacks.

After losing their first two games of the season, Haverhill had stormed back into play off contention by winning 3 games in a row in impressive fashion to sit top of pool B, and despite showing substantial improvement themselves since the seasons start the Eagles knew they would be in for a tough afternoon.

Haverhill have signed some impressive players from the nearby US Air bases, and it was American Jerred Estenson on the mound for the home team, up against the returning Tony McDowell for the Eagles.

And as the game developed, defence and pitching dominated. Estenson was as quick as anything your likely to see at single A, with the Eagles struggling to hit his rapid fastballs. However he didnt always have the best control, Michael Cresswell had a painful introduction to the game taking a fastball straight onto his arm, and Estenson also issued several walks, meaning the Eagles were able to get onto base.

However the problem the Eagles then faced was trying to steal. Usually a gimme stealing 1st to 2nd at single A, it became obvious after Cresswell was caught stealing by what seemed an eternity on the arm of catcher Matt Schellhaas that this wouldnt be an option. Schellhaas’s arm would seem more at home in the National League rather than single A and after a quick first inning the Eagles had to regroup.

With the impressive Tony McDowell on the mound, the Eagles were able to put the Blackjacks batters under pressure, and despite conceding 3 in the first inning, they werent allowed to get away. The score was 8 – 3 to the Blackjacks at the end of the 4th. Rory Hutchinson and new boy Charlie Day both managing to take impressive confidence boosting hits of Estenson to begin the Eagles fightback

The Eagles kept on chipping away at the lead. 3 runs were scored in the 6th to narrow the lead to 2 and with Estenson having now left the action it was Ryan Pflugh who came into relief for the Blackjacks. Despite being no where near as fast as Estenson, the Eagles found Pflugh just as troublesome to hit with a wicked deceptive change up that caused no end of problems. Manager Duncan Hoyle managed to get a hit and got into score his 3rd run of the day in the 7th to narrow the lead to one, and with McDowell’s combination of fast and curve balls now well on top of the Blackjacks batters the game was all to play for.

Unfortunatly for the Eagles that was to be the end of the days scoring. Getting batters on base was hard in the remaining innings and despite Cresswell managing to get round to 2nd in top of the 9th the Eagles couldnt get him in to score. Pflugh kept his cool to close the game for the Blackjacks to ensure their 4th successive win in what was a uncharacteristically short Single A game which lasted just over 2 and a quater hours.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

80 Miles and 8 weeks make little difference in Raptors v 2Sox fixture

written by Ken Pike

Herts hosted Leicester 2Sox at Grovehill to mark the half way point of the season in a rematch of the opening day game which saw the Raptors walk away with a cricket score win on the longest road trip to start the season. With the home side having seen strong early results undone by a pair of embarrassing defeats, coach Arnie Longboy was not about to let his team take things easy. He insisted on the same clinical professionalism that had dispatched the powerful Marauders and solid Redbacks III in the last two games to bring the season back on track powering the young side to the top of the standings. Furthermore, while the 2Sox had been an easy win the last time round, they had also proven capable of upsets beating the Blackjacks and taking several other games to the wire.

Nerves were settled quickly though when the first inning went strongly in the home team’s favour as they demonstrated a solid defence while new pitcher Matt Kiddie’s powerful arm took some time to knock off layer of rust developed from four years away from the game. Despite walking several players, only 1 scored before the offense got to flex the muscles that have produced the most runs of any team in the single A. They started up where they had left off six games earlier and drove in 10 runners, drawing out an early lead that would never be threatened.

The second innings went briefly in Leicester’s favour as they pulled back two and briefly held the Raptors in check before normal service resumed. On the mound the Raptors starter got his groove back and started to overpower the Leicester side allowing no runs in the next two innings while the home side continued to punish the visitors with 13 Raptors making it round the bags to draw out a 20 run lead.

Having seen well over 100 pitches in his first game back Kiddie conceded another 2 runs in the fifth before giving way to young reliever Charlie Mayhew in the sixth. Having pitched for the youth teams the day before Charlie’s slower delivery proved little more fruitful for the away teams offense who only managed another 2 runs in the sixth, but the end result was still not in doubt as the Raptors had 33 points on the board by the end of the inning. Closer Sony Lama’s first appearance in a competitive game came with a comfortable margin of 15 runs before the mercy rule was even overcome. Despite some wild pitches for the rookie pitcher, and a solitary homerun giving minimal solace to Leicester, the rest of the team did their part with a solid defensive display and the pitcher helped himself by snagging a line drive straight at his face and fielding it to take out a runner. While 3 runs scored the damage was nowhere near sufficient and the mercy rule closed out a short but sweet 3.5 hour game to a decisive close.

“I insist that the guys bring their A game to every inning in every game, and I am proud that they showed real professionalism out there today playing with clinical precision,” said coach Arnie Longboy who made the game winning out with a short throw from second to first. “We keep generating runs thanks mostly to speed and great base running, but as the saying goes ‘defence wins championships.’ That was demonstrated when we lost to the Eagles and Coyotes despite scoring heavily, but now that our young stars are coming to the end of exams our pitching rotation should be complete again which will be a big boost. The big boost today was bringing three new players to the mound for the very first time. We also seem to have cut out most of the errors that troubled us earlier this season and adding that improved defensive aspect to our awesome batting and another 20 stolen bases means we are definitely progressing in the right direction.”

The final result of 10-33 in favour of the Herts Raptors keeps them in joint first with the Coyotes in Pool A, an ominous position considering they achieved that largely in the absence of clear starting pitchers who return to the side over the next few weeks as GCSEs end. Across the league they are also matched by London Marauders in Pool C, and potentially the Blackjacks in Pool B if they win their game in hand. The Raptors team face their sister team the Eagles next where they will look to avenge the loss earlier this year before they host the Blackjacks (June 23) and Coyotes (July 7) in quick succession. Those three games could be decisive in determining the look of the playoffs, with the remaining opposition’s records at a combined 10 wins to 11 losses at the midway point.