Category: Raptors

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts snap losing streak against champions Richmond

BBF Single-A League
Richmond Dukes 17 – Herts Raptors 38
written by Emmanuel Banson and Andrew Slater

It started off with Andrew Slater stepping into the managerial hot seat for Herts Raptors for the first time in 3 years because of unavailability of Geoff Thomas and Rob Jones. After a long week of trying to make a team with a massive club effort to find players with special thanks to Aspi we had 12 players for the game.

With confidence and energy coming from the Raptor’s we began the game with the sun starting to come out from behind the clouds.

It was a strong start with the bats in the first inning with Adam Landau-Smithers leading off with a walk and scoring on errors by Richmond’s defence. Ross Asquith played his first game of the season and hit a line drive for a single and Jim Arnott hit a one-run double on a line drive and advanced to third on an error. Leading to Raptors scoring 5 runs in the 1st inning.

Andrew Slater started on the mound for the Raptors and he struggled with a tight strike zone, he walked 2 batters and Richmond battled back with 5 runs to tie it 5 – 5 after the 1st inning.

We carried on where we left off at bat with strong hitting and solid base running extended the lead 13 – 5 at the top of the 3rd inning. Richmond scored 5 more runs at bottom of 3rd with Andrew Slater continuing to struggle with a tight strike zone to make it 13 – 10 to Raptors.

In the end after 3 innings Andrew pitched 75 – 39 strikes, 6 BB, 9 hits, 12 runs, 11 earned, 0 Ks.

Andrew Slater thought it was best if he stepped off the mound giving Matt Johnston his first appearance as a pitcher after playing a solid 3 innings at SS. With Andrew Slater switched to fill the gap at shortstop. Matt Johnston on the mound with runners on 1st and 3rd base didn’t take long to warm up and settle into his new role. With Matt Johnston striking one out and fielding a ball and throwing the out at first for the second out of the inning. He gained the momentum back for the Raptors with the final out being an infield pop up to new short stop Andrew Slater.

Richmond took little advantage of the situation as they only scored another 2 runs to make it 13 – 12 after 4 innings. But with a close score, the Raptors were understandably a bit nervous that the momentum could be swinging Richmond’s way.

Andrew Slater’s tactical prowess was brilliant and well executed. Adam Landau-Smithers continued to get on base and causing Richmond infield problems with his aggressive base running and Ross Asquith flawless lefty hitting sending a ball down the 3rd base line over the head of the 3rd baseman landing 5 inches in fair play. Raptors started to go right round the order to dominate with the bat while Richmond’s starting pitcher struggled to curb Raptors offence. With solid hitting all the way through the order, Richmond decided to change pitchers after 4.33 innings – 129 – 61 strikes, 10 BB, 6 hits, 17 runs, 11 earned, 7 Ks. Avram Nikolic-Parry came in relief and Richmond defence couldn’t cope with Raptors offence which led up to 22 – 12.

Matt Johnston continued to battle with the strike zone and Raptors defence helped him out and managed to stop Richmond’s comeback with only 3 runs to make it 22 – 15. Richmond’s relief Avram Nikolic-Parry struggled to find his groove and the Raptors took advantage with passed balls, hits and steals even the Raptors are 2 outs. After the disastrous 1.33 innings – 81 – 30 strikes, 7 BB, 7 hits, 15 runs, 6 earned, 2 Ks.

With the Raptors making changes taking Adam Landau-Smithers from 2B after a solid game making one out, no errors and running his heart out round the bases, and replacing him with Charlie Day who fitted into the swing of things with a solid hit with his first at bat. Joe and Mike stepped into the outfield and also continued to make solid contact with the bat.

Joe was unfortunately hitting too well as the Raptors rallied in the 6th batting round the order leading Joe to have the painful stat of being the first and second out of the inning.

The first out was a deep hit to LF, with the second out being a stroke of bad luck when he drove the ball with some speed straight back to the pitcher. The pitcher ducked and turned away to only then find out the ball had hit him clean in the glove making the out. This then led Richmond’s Ben Carter to replace Avram Nikolic Parry on the mound after losing the feeling in his hand. Raptor’s offence continued to batter Richmond’s defence and extended the lead to 32 – 15 with help from Andrew Slater bringing two home with a double with bases loaded and Jeff W following up with a solid hit to continue the trend.

The Raptors defence was proving to be as solid as I have seen this season. Ken Pike taking a brilliant pop up behind the plate, running full steam at the fence, especially after being behind the plate in hot conditions for over 3 hours.

Then making a throw out to 3rd baseman Jon Lewys to close the inning

Raptors scored further 6 runs at top of the 7th to extend the lead to 38 – 15.

Matt Johnston stepped onto the mound for what we all hoped would be the last time after a very hot day down in Richmond. With 2 out and Richmond only scoring 2 runs Matt Johnston stepped up and struck out the last ending the inning and the ballgame by mercy rule.

This is the biggest runs scored by Herts Raptors this season and a record as well for BBF Leagues 2014 season. Matt Johnston – 4 innings 79 – 38 strikes, 5 BB, 4 hits, 5 runs, 5 earned, 5 Ks.

Herts Raptors win 38 – 17, there was a lot of smiles and high fives at Raptors dugout. Well done Raptors and let’s hope the momentum carries on towards to the end of the season.

Manager Andrew slater post game mentions

” It was a great club effort and I truly appreciate the effort of some players traveling long distance to help out today. It shows a great togetherness throughout Herts. I’m finding it very hard to remember any real errors on defence which is great. Especially with people playing in positions they have not done before. I find it very hard to pick a player of the day after such a team effort.Matt Johnston has to get a special mention with a solid first 3 innings at SS and then a stunning display of nerves and composure as Pitcher for 4 innings, especially as he has not played in either position in a league game. Ken pike was hard working behind the plate and Adam was solid at 2B and always on base. Saying all that I think it has to go to Ross for making great catches in the out field and his hitting stats where amazing for someone’s first game this year”

Player of the Day – Ross Asquith 7 for 6, 5 runs, 6 RBIs, 9 SB.

Unlucky Knob Out of the Year so far – Joseph Osborne-Brade hits a hard line drive at Richmond’s pitcher and caught it without looking at the ball.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Falcons and Raptors hit the road this Sunday hungry for wins

The Herts Falcons (4-8) are preparing for their biggest game of the season so far as they travel to the London Mets (8-6) this Sunday, 13 July, aiming to get right back into the playoff race.

If they win both games of the doubleheader they will be within one game of the Mets and may even move into the playoff zone depending on other results. The games will be played in Finsbury Park and Herts are expected to have a good number of travelling fans supporting them. The two teams met on opening day of the 2014 season and shared a win each. The pressure is on the Falcons to win both games on this occasion as they need to catch up with the rest of the pack.

Cris Hiche greeted by his teammates after his home run against the London Mets on Opening Day (photo by Richard Lee richardleephotography.org)

Cris Hiche is still on the disabled list and he will need some more time to recover from the injury sustained in the game against Bracknell earlier this year. With the exception of Hiche, all other injuries appear to be clearing up so it looks like the Falcons are returning to full strength at the right time.

This is the business end of the season. The team from Hertfordshire has 12 games to reverse the injury-hit first half of the season and battle back into the playoff zone.

There is only one other Herts adult league team in action this Sunday. The Herts Raptors will be making the trip to Richmond still looking for their first win of the season. This has not been an easy season for the team, however, the noises coming out of the Raptors clubhouse have been good all week long as the players seem determined to end this painful winless streak. The Raptors met the Richmond Dukes three weeks ago and came very close to ending the hoodoo, losing 9-12. It is expected to be another closely-fought battle.  Jonathon Lewys and Ross Asquith are expected to be back in a Herts uniform playing their first games of 2014.

 

by Rob Jones

How to make the most of a mis-hit

Let’s not beat around the bush here, my batting so far this season has sucked, writes Rob Jones. It has sucked to high heaven. It has sucked so hard that it could probably suck a golf ball through a hose pipe. From six games, I think I have probably hit three balls well.

But I didn’t come here just to moan, or to have you agree with me about how much I suck, or even to have you assure me that I am great and that I shouldn’t worry. I mention my batting because the universal truth I take from it is a positive one, and it applies to all of you as well as to me: I can still make things happen.

Facing the London Musketeers, I think I registered one real hit. Otherwise I reached on errors, on confusion, on infield mishits, and on a walk. But I still scored three runs, a quarter of our total. Once I am on base, I can steal more bases. In those first games of theyear, I may have had one good hit, but it was equally important that I struck out only once (obviously I would argue that’s the umpire’s fault, but we all have to say that don’t we?)

This past week I was rung up 3 times in one game, which is extraordinary for me.  Pretty bad, and certainly frustrating. Again I’ll blame it all on the umpire…. OK, it was a bit of me too. But even in that game I got more hits than anyone else on the team.

Even in a slump, or in a bad patch, we can still make sure that we are a tough out to get. Hustle up the line on every ball. Protect on every two-strike count. We may not be the most gifted athletes on the field, but we will do our damnedest to get on base, score runs and win games. There is enormous value in that.

The baseball gods

Of course, even as we go out and grab the game, it has ways of coming to grab us. You can get no action all game and then a big play to make. In my outfield days you would often find that to be true. It is less true on the infield, but still happens. In our home game against the London Musketeers I had a couple of routine plays at second base – a ground ball, a catch.

But in the final inning I had to move over to shortstop as we shuffled our players.  Theoretically short should be the busier station. But in the top of the ninth I think four plays went to Clive, who had been brought in to man second for the first time in his nascent baseball career. Nothing at all came to me. Clive handled it all pretty well, securing one ground ball out and narrowly missing a second one.

I am pleased that he took it all in good spirits. It was a bit of a thankless task with the game on the line. But you cannot make the baseball gods smile on you. They do their own thing.

The thought of baseball this year has been an oasis in the desert of building dust which has covered my house. The Grand Designs nonsense has combined with the usual work and family commitments to keep me away, but for most of us baseball is a release from normal life — and that is only intensified the less you play.

Devotion

One week, I came agonisingly and absurdly close to a game. I had been due to play but those builders intervened, and so once we were sure of a full squad, I pulled out. However, I still had to drive to Haverhill to deliver the equipment, and to watch the team all suited up and throwing. That’s more like a torment than a release.

Admittedly, I can’t quite claim that such a folly of a trip showed my devotion to Herts. It showed as much about the fact that training had been rained off — when a more sensible sharing out of the equipment could have been accomplished — and my difficulty in juggling different needs to get the team and the bats in the same place. However, a bit of exaggeration never goes amiss. So I shall claim that the trip to Haverhill spoke volumes about my desire for any whiff of baseball.

This coming weekend we travel to Richmond, but work commitments mean I cannot take part. For some reason I love playing at Richmond. Some of my first friendly games were there, and I remember a couple of sun-drenched league epics there.

I actually missed a friendly there once, because we sat for so many hours in traffic on the South Circular that by the time we got there the game was nearly over. Once it was finished, everyone agreed to play some extra innings, but I was due to work a night shift so had to leave again without ever throwing a ball. Really, I should hate playing at Richmond!

This missed opportunity this week feels more poignant as chances for playing baseball are now slipping away for 2014. And it’s only July!  Here’s hoping my final appearance will be a fitting finale — and that I will, at last, hit the ball properly.

by Rob Jones

Herts poor start helps Brentwood get good

Herts Raptors 8-24 Brentwood Bucks, Sunday July 6th

It was an early signal of how the Raptors’ day would go. The first batter up had struck out. In the no. 2 hole, Rob Jones worked a walk. Aggressively, he went to steal a base. Charlie Mayhew, perfectly sensibly, bunted.

But the ball popped up meekly barely a foot in the air, the catcher gladly grasped it and threw to first to retire Jones, who was already virtually at second. A promising start suddenly came to nothing. And so it would go.

All day it seemed the Raptors would hit to fielders. Joseph Osborne-Brade sweetly struck one towering drive towards the fence in deep centre, but somehow the outfielder got there and robbed him. Brentwood, however, consistently managed to “hit it where they ain’t”. Bloops over heads, ground balls through gaps, liners in outfield no man’s land. And ultimately that would secure them a win.

 

Michael Cresswell pitching

The Raptors had started slowly in the field, as if not yet awake on a Sunday morning. They allowed steals and missed throws and the visiting Bucks quickly put 3 runs on the board. Uncharacteristically, a fly ball was even put down in the outfield.

The home side tightened it up to end the inning, but Brentwood piled on again in the second innings and held a 9-1 lead by the end of the frame.

The game evened out then, with the Raptors chipping away at the Brentwood lead. Starting pitcher Michael Cresswell was the offensive stud for Herts, getting on base all four times he came to the plate and scoring 3 runs. He walked twice, and his hits included one majestically smacked to the outfield which finally avoided a defender. Daniel Bennett got two hits, as did catcher Ken Pike, who was making a valuable guest appearance from the Herts Hawks.

But not enough hits were bringing in runs — at one point the Raptors left the bases loaded. By the bottom of the fifth it was 13-5 to the Bucks, a lead which may sound big but which is by no means insurmountable in Single-A terms.

The Raptors defense had improved markedly as the game went on. Cresswell’s virtually undetectable pickoff move had claimed more victims, with Charlie Day and Charlie Mayhew combining well on the put-outs. Another Brentwood runner found himself stranded between third and home, and a desperate dive past Pike, and an equally desperate crawl towards the plate, were not enough to save him from being tagged out.

Brentwood finally managed to break the game open in the sixth, though. Walks and hits and perhaps a tiring Herts side contributed to an eight run inning. Mayhew moved in to shut it down as relief pitcher, but it was too late by then.

The visiting Bucks were in no mood to let up once the top of the Herts order failed to hit back. Some of the Brentwood team seemed inordinately excited to tack on a couple of runs in the seventh when they were already well ahead. But a winning instinct can be a useful tool.

Despite that, Herts did manage to push across 3 more runs in the bottom of the inning as they faced the improbable task of a comeback. The runners forced more errors — Charlie Day went steaming home on what was essentially a steal, but which would end up as a simple job because of a very high fastball.

Rookie Clive Johnson, hitting in the 9 spot, got his best contact of the day to force a good play from the Brentwood shortstop to secure the last out and the win.

The final score was 24-8. The Raptors co-manager, Rob Jones, was in charge for the week and was impressed by the stamina of the players who had to put in a full shift after a series of late withdrawals for illness and injury.

“We really hoped for better from this fixture, but we never got a break despite a lot of hard work”, he said. “We need to get the hits where it counts, and make all our simple defensive plays. This was a frustrating day.”

by Rob Jones

Dukes beat Raptors to the punch, claim first win

The Herts Raptors have suffered a torrid time in recent weeks. A close game which they led against the London Musketeers fell away in the final stages; they scored 20 runs against last year’s beaten finalists Haverhill but were undone by errors; and a rally against Tonbridge was snuffed out in a game which saw unwelcome fireworks within the team.

Now the visit of the Richmond Dukes offered the chance for the first win of the season. The Dukes were without a win so far – but it was never going to be easy.

Despite the perfect sun-kissed conditions, the early signs were inauspicious. Star centre-fielder Joseph Osborne Brade took a line drive straight in the face during the warm-up, and was ultimately patched up in hospital. Thankfully, he is fine, but the whiff of a curse hung over the diamond.

Young Charlie Mayhew was on the mound for the Raptors and the first inning was a mixed bag, with a couple of hits, a couple of walks and a strikeout. The Richmond Dukes scored three runs before they were closed down, with 2 runners left on base as Adrian Smithers caught a fly ball for the final out.

The Raptors hit back with one run of their own, and tied it up at 4-4 by the bottom of the second. Lead-off man Adam Landau Smithers did his job, getting on and stealing bases with abandon. He had 3 runs and four swiped bags by the end of the day.

As the game developed, Tomasz Kosak ended up the de facto leadoff, opening up three of the innings. He worked a series of walks which became runs as the Raptors managed to keeping adding just one more.

The bulk of the scoring came in the first few innings. Richmond had jumped out with 5 runs in the third and threatened to break it open. The Dukes’ rookie starting pitcher Stuart Doncaster was steady and straight and speedy and the home side’s bats never really got to grips with him.

But the Raptors stayed focused. The defense — which has had too many leaky moments so far this year — was mostly superb. Charlie Day at second base made a series of good plays. Kosak, who was moved from catcher to third base as part of a reshuffle, made the manager look like a genius with several excellent plays.

He took one spinning grounder at the second attempt and made an immense throw to get the runner by half a step, then hauled in an over-the-shoulder catch which appeared to be escaping from him all the time.

Herts’ relief pitcher Andrew Slater brought his seventies-style swagger to the mound, and battled hard to hold the Dukes to just 2 earned runs. Michael Cresswell came on in centre field as part of the changes and also made two crucial catches to keep Herts in the chase. By the middle of the seventh, it was 11-7 to Richmond.

There were frustratingly few good hits, though, as Stuart Doncaster continued dealing. First baseman Jeff Witter cracked one to centre to score a run, and shortstop Rob Jones — the only Raptor with a multi-hit game — drove one past the pitcher’s head to bring in another. But by then it was against Richmond’s veteran reliever Woo Kim, and time was running out.

The Raptors had thrown up zeroes three times with their good defense, but only once did they bring home more than one run. In the bottom of the ninth that left the score at 12-9, a tantalising target of scoring 3 to tie and 4 to win.

Today this was too tall an order. Although the Raptors were more aggressive in the box, Kim’s deceptive slow curves induced three balls in the air, and Richmond could celebrate.

The Herts Raptors co-manager Rob Jones was proud of the team’s effort. “This is the best 9 innings of baseball I have seen from us this year”, he said. “Everyone played a part and it was so close right to the end. We’re frustrated not to get the win, and it’s disappointing that the bats never really came alive. But that shouldn’t overshadow the good things that happened.”

Herts get an immediate chance to strike back — they travel to Richmond on Sunday for the return fixture.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts U12s heading for Farnham Park as part of a big weekend of baseball

View of Farnham Park from the skies (photo by BSUK)

The baseball weekend begins at Farnham Park as a Herts under 12 All Star team is unleashed on the national scene for the first time in the careers of that age group. They will be competing in the under 12 bracket of the Little League UK Championship and will face the London Mets first up at 12:30pm. Depending on the outcome of that first game they will battle through the tournament tree shown below:

Saturday, 14 June
10:00 London Sports vs Essex Redbacks (Game 1)
12:30 Herts vs London Mets (Game 2)
15:00 Loser Gm 1 vs Loser Gm 2 (Game 3)

Sunday, 15 June
10:00 LYBL vs Winner of Game 1 (Game 4)
12:30 Winner Game 3 vs Winner Game 2 (Game 5)
15:00 Winner Game 4 vs Winner Game 5

The tournament will be held at Farnham Park and will be hosted by BSUK and BBF.

Herts will also be represented in the U17 Little League UK Championship as an All Star team representing all U17 teams from the South of England go head-to-head with an All Star team representing the Midlands and the North. The U17 UK Champions will be decided in a best-of-3 series over the weekend. The winner will progress through to the European qualifying stage which will be held in Italy next month, for a chance to reach the Little League World Series in August.

At the same time at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead the Herts Ravens have an U17 League doubleheader versus the Forest Glade Redbacks. First pitch is at 12pm. Food and drinks will be on offer throughout the day.

Baseball and pretty much everything else in the UK will stop on Saturday night as the England football team plays its first World Cup 2014 game against Italy.

The baseball action continues on Sunday at Grovehill Ballpark with two games from the British adult leagues. In the Double-A League the Herts Hawks will be looking to put their season back on track with a win against the Bracknell Inferno, while the Herts Raptors will be looking for their first win of the season in their Single-A League encounter with Tonbridge. Both games start at 12pm.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Blackjacks outscore Fruit salads to take the win

British Single-A League
Herts Raptors 20 Haverhill Blackjacks 30
Adrian Smithers reporting from Haverhill

It was a very hot day in Haverhill last Sunday. Which incidentally, for anybody whom geographical awareness is not their strongest point, is in Suffolk! It’s most definitely NOT in Cambridgeshire as some believed.

It was under this inferno of an early June sun that the Raptors trotted out upon the “diamond” to play the Blackjacks for the second time in a fortnight. Raptors were hoping to exact a modicum of revenge for the previous defeat at Grovehill. A game that had seen them coming within 2 outs of securing their very first win of the season. However it was not to be on this day, as it hadn’t previously.

Raptors batted around in the 1st inning putting four runs on the board. The Blackjacks replied in the bottom of the inning with two. The 2nd inning saw the Herts team bat around again adding another four runs. Raptors starting pitcher Charlie Mayhew then retired Haverhill in order. Giving Raptors an 8-2 lead. It was the Raptors turn to put up a blank in the third as the Blackjacks batters made adjustments, on their second time through the order, scoring six runs to tie the game at 8-8 after three innings.

Raptors responded aggressively, after their first two outs in the 4th inning, batting around once more and plating six runs in the process to retake the lead 14-6. However, the bottom of the inning was truly disasterous for the Raptors and despite Cresswell relieving C.Mayhew with one out and runners on 2nd & 3rd, the Haverhill team exploded for THIRTEEN runs from five hits, four walks, passed balls and other numerous and costly errors.

The inning included an inside the “park” home run by Blackjacks slugger Becking. Who having gone deep in the teams previous encounter, failed to clear the 1,545 ft outfield fence and had to do it the hard way with the Herts outfielders mere specks against the distant horizon.

With the score now 21-14 to Haverhill, the hard throwing but wild Fuentes took over pitching duties for the Blackjacks enabling the Raptors to score six runs on a single hit, seven walks and a glut of wild pitches to pull the score back to within a run. They then held the home team to a single run inthe bottom of the fifth to trail 22-20.

Raptors failed to add to their score in the sixth, whilst the Blackjacks added a further seven unearned runs as the Raptors focus and ability to make the basic plays seemed to melt away like a chewy sweet left out in the sweltering afternoon sunshine. The Herts team fared no better in the 7th as they were sat down in order. Haverhill then added the single run they required, to bring the mercy rule into play, without an out being recorded. With the game over and the platitudes completed, half the Raptors team headed for home, the other half for the nearest pub. A happier time was had in the Rose & Crown as lost liquids were replenished.

Raptors manager Geoffrey Thomas said: “Once again we’ve scored a lot of runs but we’ve made too many mistakes and given up too many runs. There’s wins in this team, we just need to cut down on the errors.”

Raptors are back at Grovehill on Sunday 15th June to face visitors Tonbridge.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Raptors early efforts foiled by Musketeers

British Single-A League
London Musketeers 25 Herts Raptors 13
Adrian Smithers reporting form Grovehill Ballpark

Baseball relies upon its history and traditions more so than many other sports that are played nowadays. Personally I have relied upon the technologies allowed to me, as invaluable assets, whilst compiling my reports so far this season. Gamechanger and other apps being a huge aid to the memory, when concentration at the time is focused purely upon the game and its current situation. This week I don’t have that. So in the interest of accuracy, no stats will be quoted.

The Raptors started the game playing error free baseball and accordingly found themselves with a 6-0 lead after the first three innings. Raptors starting pitcher Michael Cresswell (pictured above) holding the Musketeers to a single hit whilst walking two batters. The London team put their first run on the board in the fourth, with Raptors replying in kind to keep their lead at six runs.

The Musketeer bats finally found their rhythm in the fifth inning scoring five runs without reply to pull the game back to within a run at 7-6. They scored five more in the sixth inning as Witter took over the pitching duties from Cresswell, with men already on base. Raptors could only add one run to their score in the bottom of the inning and found themselves behind for the first time in the game with the score now 11-8 to London.

The momentum was now firmly with the Musketeers. Despite Raptors manager Jones’s roboration between innings, Musketeers scored a further four runs, in the seventh, as mistakes and frustrations appeared to creep into the Raptors game. Musketeers repeated this feat adding a further four runs in the eighth inning. Needing to score twice in order to prolong the game into the ninth, Raptors scored 3 runs without an out before a pick off play to first base saw Kosak called out, to the astonishment of the Raptors dugout, on a tag that was applied to his leg that seemed clearly to already be back on the bag. The resulting protest and comment made after a warning for equipment abuse led to his ejection by the umpire.

The Musketeers scored a further six runs in the top of the ninth widening the void to 25-12. Raptors failed to score in the bottom of the inning. So with the aid of a ghost run – that doesn’t appear on the j.peg of a scorecard that I’ve been working from – the final score was 25-13!*

Raptors manager Rob Jones said, “This game was much closer than the score line suggests. Michael Cresswell pitched a gem for us and it was frustrating to let the game get away from us at the end. But London came back very strong. We have to work hard on keeping our bats going and close games out for the win.”

Raptors travel to Haverhill Blackjacks on Sunday 8th June.

*As submitted by London Musketeers.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

A Bridge Too Far – Raptors fall in the ninth. Blackjacks Becking hits for the cycle.

British Single-A League
Haverhill Blackjacks 27 Herts Raptors 20
Adrian Smithers reporting form Grovehill Ballpark

The Raptors arrived at Grovehill knowing that they had a tough game ahead, against the visiting Blackjacks, as they sought their first win.

The game got underway and the Blackjacks soon had their first run on the board. Trailing by three, Raptors responded patiently and plated six runners on 1 hit, 6 walks and a HBP. Haverhill replied with six runs in the second, including a triple by Becking. Smithers led off the bottom of the inning for Herts, jumping on a first pitch slider which he hit for an opposite field triple. He was still standing rooted on third gasping for oxygen, much to the hilarity of both dugouts, when a passed ball gave him the chance to advance home two pitches later. Luckily he was able to spare his embarrassment, advancing on another passed ball two batters later for Raptors only run in the second.

The Blackjacks further extended their lead in the third inning on a two run homer from their slugger in the three spot, Daniel Becking. Despite this, Herts pitcher Charlie Mayhew settled down and got out of the inning with no further damage. The bottom of the third saw Raptors pull a run back, scored by Wittter who had been walked and then stolen second (AGAIN!) before advancing home on a passed ball to Phillips.

With the score 11-8, Herts starting pitcher Mayhew recorded two outs before reaching his pitch limit. He was relieved by Andrew Slater who got the third out of the fourth inning. Herts then added three runs in the bottom of the inning to compliment the first goose egg on the scorecard. The game was tied at 11-11.

The Blackjacks scored twice in the fifth. Raptors responded, plating three runs to at last regain the lead. This included Slater advancing all the way home from first on a passed ball to Mayhew, after pitcher Phillips hurled the ball back towards the mound in a fit of pique after failing to tag an evasively sliding Smithers at the plate.

The Blackjacks tied it up again in the sixth scoring one before relief pitcher Fuentes sent the top of the Raptors line up back to the dugout in order.

The two teams then traded blows over the next two innings and the Raptors found themselves in the top of the ninth with a one run lead (20-19) and the chance to seal their first win of the season. It was not to be and with two outs and the score tied, a tiring Slater was savaged mercilessly for a further seven runs, not all earned. The Raptors seemed to sag visibly and the bottom half of the inning was almost a formality as the Blackjacks left the diamond celebrating a hard fought 27-20 victory.

Raptors manager Geoff Thomas said, “It was a tough loss today, we played outstanding against a very good team but a couple of big innings cost us and we couldn’t quite pull it back. A lot of positives to take into next week though.”

Player of the day has to go to Haverhill’s Daniel Becking who hit for the cycle with stats of,
5-6, 6R, 4RBI, 2 2B, 3B, HR, 2BB, 3SB.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts Harriers prepare for Belgian challenge

This Bank Holiday Weekend almost all British baseball league teams are resting due to a GB event, however there are several Herts teams in action.

On Saturday, 24 May, Herts Harriers will make the short trip to Canons Park for the final day of the ISST Baseball Championships. Herts will join five varsity league teams – ASL Eagles, ACS Cobham, TASIS, STJ Lions and IS Brussels.

From the scores over the last two days we expect that the Herts Harriers will face the IS Brussels team from Belgium. The game was originally scheduled for 9:00am, however the organisers have moved the start time back to 9:30am, an adjustment which has been required due to the adverse weather forecast.

Herts Harriers will be missing a large number of players due to GB team call-ups and the injury to starting pitcher, Tom Armstrong, in last Sunday’s NBL game versus Essex Arrows.

Also on Saturday, at Grovehill Ballpark, there is under 12 league game between the Herts Dodgers and the Herts Giants.

On Sunday, the Herts Raptors welcome the Haverhill Blackjacks in a repeat of last season’s Single-A national championship semi-final which the Raptors lost narrowly. The game will start at 1pm at Grovehill Ballpark’s New Diamond.