Category: Raptors
HERTS BASEBALL CLUB ANNOUNCES POSTSEASON/FUNDRAISING SCHEDULE
With just a few weeks remaining of the regular season, Herts Baseball Club has announced the 2008 postseason schedule. It will be packed with events for all branches of the Herts Baseball organisation, from the Little League to the club’s adult teams. The postseason is also the time to get volunteers, friends and family members involved and playing the game. Who knows? The club may discover a new superstar among friends and family members.
In September the Herts Little League will be hosting its first tournament inviting all the top British League teams in the Bronco age group (10-13 year olds). Most of these teams will include players who are members of the GB Juveniles Team so the Herts Little League will be able to check on its progress against top opposition.
The postseason period coincides with a critical period for the club’s project to develop Grovehill Ballpark. The club requires one final fundraising push before commencing the construction work. If the club reaches its fundraising target, members of the club as well as everyone else in the British baseball community can look forward to 2009 when the revamped Grovehill Ballpark and its second baseball diamond will be unveiled. Members of the adult and Little League teams will be asked to play a key role in the upcoming fundraising events and absolutely everyone must do their best to take part in these events.
This September and October the club remembers fallen Falcon number 36 in the 2008 Kyle Hunlock Series. Full details of an exciting new format for this event will be released in the next few days. As part of the event, Herts Baseball Club will be making history with the first ever live radio broadcast online on the Herts Baseball Channel.
Even after the last pitch of the season is thrown, club events keep coming thick and fast as we build up to 2009, so make a note of these dates.
2008 POSTSEASON AND FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN
SCHEDULE
Key:
Little League
Adults
Fundraising
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Thursday, 21 August 2008 |
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3:30pm-5:30pm |
Fundraising Visit to Hemel Industrial Zone
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Saturday, 23 August 2008 |
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11am-2:30pm |
Little League Final Day |
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3pm-5pm |
Fundraising at local shopping centres
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Saturday-Sunday, 6-7 September 2008 |
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Morning-night |
AAA Final 4 at Croydon |
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Thursday, 18 September 2008 |
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8pm |
LIVE – Kyle Hunlock Series Draft (making history with first ever LIVE broadcast on the Herts Baseball Channel) |
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Sunday, 21 September 2008 |
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11pm-7pm |
Kyle Hunlock Series (DAY1) |
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Saturday, 27 September 2008 |
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TBC |
Herts Little League Tournament |
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Sunday, 28 September 2008 |
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11pm-7pm |
Kyle Hunlock Series (DAY2) |
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Thursday, 2 October 2008 |
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8pm |
LIVE – Kyle Hunlock Series re-Draft |
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Sunday, 5 October 2008 |
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11pm-2pm |
Kyle Hunlock Series (FINAL DAY) |
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2pm-3pm |
Little League Home Run Derby |
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3pm-4pm |
Little League 2008 Awards Ceremony |
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4pm-7pm |
Family Softball Game (s) · Little League Parents and Adult members family/friends |
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Sunday, 12 October 2008 |
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TBC |
2009 Annual General Meeting |
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October-November 2008 |
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TBC |
The HBC Tennis League (unlike baseball, you gotta keep the ball IN the park) Adult Herts Baseball Players (and family members) will be competing head-to-head over several weeks in a league format. |
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Friday, 12 December 2008 |
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TBC |
2008 Awards Night (Adult Teams) |
RAPTORS STUNG BY RAYS
| Braintree Rays at Herts Raptors | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score By Innings | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Braintree Rays | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 9 | 4 |
| Herts Raptors | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 10 | 11 |
| Braintree Rays 16, Herts Raptors 12 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braintree Rays | Herts Raptors | ||||||||
| ab | r | h | bi | ab | r | h | bi | ||
| Player 1 p | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | Hunter Devine 2b | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Player 2 c | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | Jake Kikel p-1b | 6 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Player 3 1b | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Rob Jones cf-ss | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Player 4 2b | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | Peter Kikel ss-p | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Player 5 3b | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | Jonathon Lewys c | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Player 6 ss | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Andy Ringrose 3b-cf | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Player 7 lf | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | Andrew Slater 1b-3b | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Player 8 cf | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | Robert Crouch rf | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Player 9 rf | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Pete Cox lf | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| TEAM TOTALS | 44 | 16 | 9 | 7 | TEAM TOTALS | 40 | 12 | 10 | 10 |
| E: Player 5(3), Player 2, Peter Kikel(5), Jake Kikel(2), Rob Jones(2), Jonathon Lewys, Pete Cox. LOB: Herts Raptors 8, Braintree Rays 8. 2B: Player 2, Player 7, Hunter Devine(3), Rob Jones, Pete Cox, Peter Kikel. 3B: Jonathon Lewys. SB: Player 5(4), Player 2(3), Player 8(3), Player 4(2), Player 9(2), Player 6, Andy Ringrose(2), Hunter Devine(2), Andrew Slater. |
| Braintree Rays | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| Player 1 W | 9.00 | 10 | 12 | 5 | 6 | 10 |
| Herts Raptors | ||||||
| Jake Kikel | 7.00 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 18 |
| Peter Kikel L | 2.00 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| HBP: by Player 1 (Robert Crouch). . . . . , by Jake Kikel (Player 8). . . WP: Jake Kikel(4). PB: Player 2(4), Jonathon Lewys. T: 0:00. A: 0. |
| Braintree Rays – Top of the 1st: Player 1 reached on error, advanced to 2nd on error, advanced to 3rd on error, batted forward to home. Player 2 ground rule doubled, stole 3rd, stole home, 1 RBI. Player 3 struck out looking. Player 4 flied out. Player 5 walked, stole 2nd, advanced to home on error. Player 6 reached on error, batted forward to home. Player 7 doubled, advanced to 3rd on throw, batted forward to home, 1 RBI. Player 8 singled, batted forward to home, 1 RBI. Player 9 singled, stole 2nd, tagged out going to 3rd. Player 1 reached on fielder's choice, 1 RBI. Player 2 grounded out. Player 3 struck out looking. Player 4 struck out looking. 6 runs, 4 hits, 3 errors, 1 LOB. |
| Herts Raptors – Bottom of the 1st: Hunter Devine doubled, stole 3rd, advanced to home on passed ball. Jake Kikel popped out. Rob Jones struck out looking. Peter Kikel walked. Jonathon Lewys struck out looking. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. |
| Braintree Rays – Top of the 2nd: Player 5 walked, batted forward to 3rd, advanced to home on error. Player 6 singled, stole 2nd, tagged out going to 3rd. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB. |
| Herts Raptors – Bottom of the 2nd: Andy Ringrose reached on error, stole 2nd, advanced to 3rd on passed ball, batted forward to home. Andrew Slater walked, stole 2nd, batted forward to home. Robert Crouch hit by pitch, batted forward to home. Pete Cox walked, batted forward to 3rd, tagged out going to home, 1 RBI. Hunter Devine doubled, batted forward to home, 2 RBI. Jake Kikel grounded out, 1 RBI. Rob Jones doubled, 1 RBI. Peter Kikel flied out. 4 runs, 2 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB. |
| Braintree Rays – Top of the 3rd: Player 7 reached on error. Player 8 struck out looking. Player 9 struck out looking. 0 runs, 0 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB. |
| Herts Raptors – Bottom of the 3rd: Jonathon Lewys tripled, batted forward to home. Andy Ringrose grounded out, 1 RBI. Andrew Slater grounded out. Robert Crouch struck out looking. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB. |
| Braintree Rays – Top of the 4th: Player 1 singled, advanced to home on error. Player 2 reached on error, advanced to 2nd on error, stole 3rd, advanced to home on wild pitch. Player 3 struck out looking. Player 4 grounded out. Player 5 popped out. 2 runs, 1 hit, 2 errors, 0 LOB. |
| Herts Raptors – Bottom of the 4th: Pete Cox struck out looking. Hunter Devine reached on error, batted forward to home. Jake Kikel singled, batted forward to 3rd, 1 RBI. Rob Jones singled, forced out at 2nd. Peter Kikel flied out. Jonathon Lewys reached on fielder's choice. 1 run, 2 hits, 1 error, 2 LOB. |
| Braintree Rays – Top of the 5th: Player 6 struck out looking. Player 7 walked, advanced to 2nd on passed ball, advanced to home on error. Player 8 walked, stole 2nd, stole 3rd, advanced to home on error. Player 9 walked, stole 2nd, advanced to 3rd on error. Player 1 struck out looking. Player 2 reached on dropped 3rd strike w/error, advanced to 2nd on error. Player 3 struck out looking. 2 runs, 0 hits, 2 errors, 2 LOB. |
| Herts Raptors – Bottom of the 5th: Andy Ringrose struck out looking. Andrew Slater struck out swinging. Robert Crouch struck out swinging. Pete Cox grounded out. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. |
| Braintree Rays – Top of the 6th: Player 4 popped out. Player 5 walked, batted forward to 2nd, advanced to 3rd on wild pitch. Player 6 grounded out. Player 7 struck out swinging. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB. |
| Herts Raptors – Bottom of the 6th: Hunter Devine grounded out. Jake Kikel popped out. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. |
| Braintree Rays – Top of the 7th: Player 8 hit by pitch, stole 2nd, batted forward to home. Player 9 struck out swinging. Player 1 grounded out. Player 2 singled, batted forward to 2nd, 1 RBI. Player 3 singled. Player 4 grounded out. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB. |
| Herts Raptors – Bottom of the 7th: Rob Jones walked, batted forward to 3rd. Peter Kikel grounded out. Jonathon Lewys walked, forced out at 2nd. Andy Ringrose reached on fielder's choice. Andrew Slater flied out. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB. |
| Braintree Rays – Top of the 8th: Player 5 singled, stole 2nd, stole 3rd, advanced to home on wild pitch. Player 6 struck out swinging. Player 7 struck out swinging. Player 8 grounded out. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB. |
| Herts Raptors – Bottom of the 8th: Robert Crouch popped out. Pete Cox struck out looking. Hunter Devine reached on error, advanced to 2nd on error, stole 3rd, batted forward to home. Jake Kikel singled, forced out at 2nd, 1 RBI. Rob Jones reached on fielder's choice. 1 run, 1 hit, 1 error, 1 LOB. |
| Braintree Rays – Top of the 9th: Player 9 reached on dropped 3rd strike WP, advanced to 3rd on error, batted forward to home. Player 1 reached on error, advanced to 2nd on error, batted forward to home. Player 2 struck out looking. Player 3 reached on error, tagged out going to 2nd. Player 4 reached on fielder's choice, stole 2nd, stole 3rd, advanced to home on error, 2 RBI. Player 5 reached on dropped 3rd strike w/error, stole 2nd. Player 6 struck out swinging. 3 runs, 0 hits, 3 errors, 1 LOB. |
| Herts Raptors – Bottom of the 9th: Peter Kikel ground rule doubled, advanced to home on error. Jonathon Lewys walked, advanced to 3rd on error, advanced to home on passed ball. Andy Ringrose reached on error, stole 2nd, advanced to 3rd on passed ball, batted forward to home. Andrew Slater struck out looking. Robert Crouch struck out looking. Pete Cox doubled, batted forward to home, 1 RBI. Hunter Devine ground rule doubled, 1 RBI. Jake Kikel popped out. 4 runs, 3 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB. |
SINGLE-A LEAGUE LEADERS TOO STRONG FOR RAPTORS
Report from Herts Baseball Newswire Correspondent, ROB JONES
The new boys of Herts baseball always knew they were going to face a tough task against the surging Croydon Pirates, and so it turned out. The visitors set out their stall straight away. They hit a string of singles in the top of the first inning, then stole second base, then stole third base. Three runs crossed the plate, and it was a lead they would stretch steadily throughout the game.
Raptors couldn’t get their bats going against the consistent Croydon pitching, and when they were able to manufacture runs through walks, steals and errors, it was only one run at a time. When the most feared Herts hitters did make contact, the ball somehow found a fielder. In the end, Croydon took the game 17-3 in 7 innings, and moved to the top of their division.
The weather over Grovehill was mainly cloudy, with some heavy showers and just the odd burst of sunshine. That was reflected in the game for the Herts Raptors. They now hope that their hard work and improving defense gets better reward in the last few games of the season.
| Croydon Pirates III at Herts Raptors | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score By Innings | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | R | H | E |
| Croydon Pirates III | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 15 | 1 |
| Herts Raptors | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Croydon Pirates III 17, Herts Raptors 3 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Croydon Pirates III | Herts Raptors | ||||||||
| ab | r | h | bi | ab | r | h | bi | ||
| Player 1 p | 2 | 5 | 2 | 1 | Hunter Devine cf-2b | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Player 2 c | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | Andrew Slater 3b | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player 3 1b | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | (t7) Carlos Casal 3b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player 4 2b | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Andy Ringrose c | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player 5 3b | 5 | 1 | 3 | 2 | Rod Ariss ss-p | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player 6 ss | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Pete Cox rf | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player 7 lf | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | (t6) Robert Crouch rf | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player 8 cf | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | Jonathon Lewys 1b-cf | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player 9 rf | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | Dave Hamilton lf | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| (b5) Tim Elkins lf | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Rob Jones 2b-ss | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Mark Hoffman p-1b | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| TEAM TOTALS | 34 | 17 | 15 | 12 | TEAM TOTALS | 23 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| E: Player 3, Andrew Slater(3). LOB: Herts Raptors 6, Croydon Pirates III 8. 2B: Player 1, Player 5, Player 7. SB: Player 1(4), Player 5(4), Player 2(4), Player 3(4), Player 6, Player 4, Player 8, Hunter Devine(3), Rob Jones(3), Mark Hoffman(2), Andy Ringrose, Carlos Casal. |
| Croydon Pirates III | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| Player 1 W | 7.00 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 9 |
| Herts Raptors | ||||||
| Mark Hoffman L | 6.00 | 12 | 15 | 10 | 10 | 7 |
| Rod Ariss | 1.00 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| HBP: by Player 1 (Andy Ringrose). . . . . . , by Rod Ariss (Player 7). . WP: Mark Hoffman(2). PB: Player 2. T: 0:00. A: 0. |
(VIDEO) BISONS ROLL OVER RAPTORS, PETE KIKEL BACK ON THE MOUND AS PART OF REHAB PROGRAMME
| Herts Raptors at Thames Valley | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score By Innings | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
| Herts Raptors | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 0 |
| Thames Valley | 2 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 14 | 0 |
| Thames Valley 13, Herts Raptors 1 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thames Valley | Herts Raptors | ||||||||
| ab | r | h | bi | ab | r | h | bi | ||
| Player1 c | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Andrew Slater 3b | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Player2 p | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | Jon Lewys 1b-c | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Player3 1b | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | Mark Hoffmann p-1b | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player4 3b | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | Pete Kikel 2b-p | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Player5 2b | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | Craig Witney ss | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Player6 ss | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | Steve Nippress cf | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player7 rf | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | Jake Kikel c-2b | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Player8 lf | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | Rob Crouch rf-lf | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player9 sf | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | James Roberts lf-rf | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| TEAM TOTALS | 31 | 13 | 14 | 9 | TEAM TOTALS | 28 | 1 | 10 | 0 |
| LOB: Thames Valley 9, Herts Raptors 10. 2B: Player5, Player7. SB: Player6(4), Player2(4), Player3(2), Player7(2), Player9(2), Player4, Pete Kikel(2), Craig Witney(2), Andrew Slater, Jon Lewys, Jake Kikel. |
| Thames Valley | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| Player2 W | 7.00 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| Herts Raptors | ||||||
| Mark Hoffmann L | 4.00 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 3 | 7 |
| Pete Kikel | 2.00 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| HBP: by Mark Hoffmann (Player3). . , by Mark Hoffmann (Player7). . . , by Player2 (Jake Kikel). . PB: Player1, Jake Kikel(3). Balk: Player2. T: 0:00. A: 0. |
| Herts Raptors – Top of the 1st: Andrew Slater struck out swinging. Jon Lewys singled, stole 2nd, batted forward to 3rd. Mark Hoffmann struck out looking. Pete Kikel singled, stole 2nd. Craig Witney struck out looking. 0 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB. |
| Thames Valley – Bottom of the 1st: Player1 struck out looking. Player2 singled, stole 2nd, batted forward to 3rd, advanced to home on passed ball. Player3 hit by pitch, batted forward to 2nd, advanced to 3rd on passed ball, advanced to home on passed ball. Player4 struck out looking. Player5 doubled. Player6 flied out. 2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB. |
| Herts Raptors – Top of the 2nd: Steve Nippress popped out. Jake Kikel struck out looking. Rob Crouch walked, batted forward to 2nd. James Roberts singled. Andrew Slater struck out looking. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB. |
| Thames Valley – Bottom of the 2nd: Player7 walked, stole 2nd, batted forward to home. Player8 singled, batted forward to home. Player9 singled, batted forward to home, 1 RBI. Player1 struck out looking. Player2 singled, batted forward to 2nd, stole 3rd. Player3 struck out looking. Player4 singled, stole 2nd, 2 RBI. Player5 struck out looking. 3 runs, 4 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB. |
| Herts Raptors – Top of the 3rd: Jon Lewys struck out looking. Mark Hoffmann struck out looking. Pete Kikel flied out. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. |
| Thames Valley – Bottom of the 3rd: Player6 singled, stole 2nd, stole 3rd, batted forward to home. Player7 hit by pitch, stole 2nd, batted forward to 3rd. Player8 struck out looking. Player9 grounded out, 1 RBI. Player1 called out by interference. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. |
| Herts Raptors – Top of the 4th: Craig Witney walked, stole 2nd, stole 3rd, tagged out going to home. Steve Nippress struck out looking. Jake Kikel singled, stole 2nd. Rob Crouch grounded out. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. |
| Thames Valley – Bottom of the 4th: Player3 singled, stole 2nd, batted forward to home. Player4 popped out. Player5 struck out looking. Player6 singled, stole 2nd, stole 3rd, batted forward to home, 1 RBI. Player7 doubled, batted forward to home, 1 RBI. Player8 singled, batted forward to home, 1 RBI. Player9 singled, stole 2nd, batted forward to 3rd, stole home. Player1 walked, batted forward to 2nd. Player2 walked, 1 RBI. Player3 flied out. 5 runs, 5 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB. |
| Herts Raptors – Top of the 5th: James Roberts singled, batted forward to 3rd. Andrew Slater popped out. Jon Lewys singled, batted forward to 2nd. Mark Hoffmann grounded out. Pete Kikel grounded out. 0 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB. |
| Thames Valley – Bottom of the 5th: Player4 singled, left base early, called out. Player6 walked, batted forward to 3rd. Player7 walked, batted forward to 2nd. Player8 struck out looking. Player9 singled. Player1 struck out looking. 0 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 3 LOB. |
| Herts Raptors – Top of the 6th: Craig Witney reached first base, batted forward to 3rd. Steve Nippress walked, batted forward to 2nd. Jake Kikel hit by pitch, tagged out going to 2nd. Rob Crouch flied out. James Roberts grounded out. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB. |
| Thames Valley – Bottom of the 6th: Player2 walked, stole 2nd, batted forward to 3rd, stole home. Player3 walked, batted forward to 2nd, stole 3rd, batted forward to home. Player4 grounded out. Player5 grounded out, 1 RBI. Player6 grounded out. 2 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. |
| Herts Raptors – Top of the 7th: Andrew Slater singled, stole 2nd, batted forward to 3rd, advanced to home on passed ball. Jon Lewys singled, advanced to 2nd on passed ball, tagged out going to 3rd. Mark Hoffmann popped out. Pete Kikel singled, advanced to 2nd on balk, stole 3rd. Craig Witney popped out. 1 run, 3 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB. |
RAPTORS’ SPIRITED COME BACK NOT ENOUGH
Report from Herts Baseball Newswire correspondent, ROB JONES
The history books will show this another defeat for the newest Herts baseball team, but they won’t show how mighty close it was. The Raptors showed a lot of heart to stage a late rally, and nearly snatched a game that they can look back on with pride.
Things started badly for Raptors, with their first three batters going down weakly, and after loading the bases in the second they left empty-handed again. Bracknell had already started their steady accumulation of runs and they led 7-0 by the bottom of the third. Then with two outs the Raptors at last started to chip away at the lead – outfielder Steve Nippress driving in two runs. Rob Jones brought in two more in the next inning but Herts then hit a bad patch. Relief pitcher Humberto Goncalves struggled with his control, and fielding errors allowed four more Bracknell runners to cross the plate. Raptors now found themselves 12-4 down, and time was running out. Could they turn it around?
The first step was snuffing out the Blazers’ offense, and the new closer Rod Ariss did just that. He helped his own cause with a hit and a run in the bottom of the seventh and then, in the bottom of the eighth, the Raptors bats finally came alive. The team batted around, chasing the starting pitcher from the game and capitalising on the reliever’s slow start. There were RBI’s for Nick Russell and Pete Cox, and for Ilya Dimitrov, who beat out a spinning infield hit off the end of his bat to bring in two more runs.
Now it was crunch time. Bracknell were getting rattled, having seen a commanding lead slip away. They argued strikes, they argued calls, they even argued the score, and the officials had to hold a long conference before it was decided that the visitors led just 14-12. Their mood didn’t improve when Rod Ariss closed them down completely in the top of the ninth, striking out the final two batters he faced. For the first time in the game, Blazers had been held scoreless.
The Herts catcher Andy Ringrose started things off well, pulling a triple down the left field line. Hopes were raised of a truly dramatic finale, but the Raptors couldn’t bring him home. The final out was a tantalising, soaring drive, that came down too close to a waiting fielder. On this day, it simply wasn’t to be.
Herts Raptors again showed great team spirit, lively batting, aggressive running, and overall improved defense. They will be frustrated by the loss, but can take many positives into their next game at Thames Valley, and hopes are high of a win this time.
| Bracknell Blazers II at Herts Raptors | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score By Innings | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Template Team | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 9 | 1 |
| Herts Raptors | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 12 | 13 | 5 |
| Bracknell Blazers II 14, Herts Raptors 12 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template Team | Herts Raptors | ||||||||
| ab | r | h | bi | ab | r | h | bi | ||
| Player 1 p | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | Rob Jones 1b | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Player 2 c | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | Andy Ringrose c | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Player 3 1b | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Andrew Slater 3b | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Player 4 2b | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | Rod Ariss ss-p | 6 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| Player 5 3b | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | Steve Nippress lf | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Player 6 ss | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | Carlos Casal cf | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Player 7 lf | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Jake Kikel p | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Player 8 cf | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | (t5) Humberto Goncalves p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player 9 rf | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | (t7) Nick Russell ss | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Pete Cox 2b | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||||
| Ilya Dimitrov rf | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||
| TEAM TOTALS | 36 | 14 | 9 | 11 | TEAM TOTALS | 39 | 12 | 13 | 11 |
| E: Player 5, Rob Jones(2), Andrew Slater, Carlos Casal, Pete Cox. LOB: Herts Raptors 12, Template Team 12. 2B: Player 6(2), Player 5, Rod Ariss. 3B: Steve Nippress. SB: Player 1(4), Player 6(3), Player 3(2), Player 4(2), Player 5(2), Player 2(2), Player 8, Player 9, Rod Ariss(3), Ilya Dimitrov(2), Rob Jones(2), Jake Kikel, Carlos Casal, Steve Nippress. CS: Player 5, Player 2, Player 9(2), Rob Jones. SB: Player 7. |
| Bracknell Blazers II | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| Player 1 W | 9.00 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 9 |
| Herts Raptors | ||||||
| Jake Kikel L | 4.00 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 7 |
| Rod Ariss | 3.00 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Humberto Goncalves | 2.00 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 3 |
| HBP: by Player 1 (Steve Nippress). . . . . . , by Rod Ariss (Player 3), by Player 1 (Andy Ringrose), by Player 1 (Carlos Casal). . PB: Player 2, Andy Ringrose(5). Balk: Player 1. T: 3:00. A: 0. |
.500 RECORD FOR HERTS TEAMS AT THE LONDON TOURNAMENT
The Herts Falcons and the Herts Hawks may not have achieved what they set out to do, but there were many positives to be taken from another memorable London Tournament. On Day One the Falcons managed to win convincingly against Northampton and the Great Britain Cadets. This put them on top of their First Round Group. The French team, Saints, manage dot do the same and they both found themselves not only with the same win-loss record but with exactly the same run difference of +23. Rather than opting for the toss of a coin the organisers decided to use Saturday Night’s Home Run Derby contest as a tie-breaker. The three French sluggers put up 4 home runs on the board, which seemed to be beyond the reach of the three Falcons representatives, Kimiyoshi Saionji, Darrin Ward and Dan Kerry who had hit two home runs earlier in the day. But Darrin Ward had different ideas in mind. The ball was exploding off his 20-year old bat. He matched the 4 home runs hit by the French team and that took the contest to a sudden death final round. The Saints and the Falcons picked their best home run hitters, Alex and Darrin, respectively and once again Darrin produced a masterful performance with another 4 home runs. This was a tense moment for the large crowd which had gathered on field 1, and especially for the on-looking Saints and Falcons players. At stake was not only first place finish in the First Round Group, but also the coveted 11am game start on Sunday. For the losers the dreaded 9am game start which would mean that the traditional Saturday’ Night Out for the players may have to be drastically scaled-down, if that is at all possible.
With the Herts contingent heckling every swing , Alex managed to hit 3 big home runs but that was not enough and so the Falcons went on to clinch top spot in the rgoup.
Unfortunately for the Falcons, the excitement of Day One seemed to take all the energy out of the team and Day Two ended in disappointment with two heavy losses to the National League Croydon Pirates and the Great Britain Junior Team which is preparing for its European Championships qualifying campaign.
It was down to the Herts Hawks to keep Hertfordshire hopes of silverware alive. They picked up a win in their first game on Saturday against the Brentwood Stags but lost to the hosts in game 2. This meant that on Day Two the Hawks were to battle in the Frank Brady Trophy bracket of the Tournament. They won 6-1 against the AAA Badgers from Bristol to set up a decider against the Medway Mariners. With the time-limit looming, the Mariners had a 3-2 lead. With 2 out the Hawks loaded the bases, but it wasn’t to be. The Hawks ended the tournament with a very respectful record of 2 wins and 2 losses and with their Home Run Derby representative, Louis Hare, hitting a long home run out of the park in the Home Run Derby Contest.
With the venue’s four fields positioned so close to each other there was a worrying moment for everyone connected with Herts Baseball Club as a foul ball from Field 3 hit 14-year old Herts prospect, Luis Goncalves, on the back of the head. Medical reports have confirmed that there is no serious damage which is good news for the club with the league season heading into its final two months. Hawks Manager, Carlos Casal, sustained a wrist injury in a defensive play and the club is awaiting news.
SATURDAY'S BOX SCORES
| Herts Falcons at Northampton | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score By Innings | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | R | H | E |
| Herts Falcons | 0 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 14 | 13 | 2 |
| Northampton | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 |
| Herts Falcons 14, Northampton 4 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herts Falcons | Northampton | ||||||||
| ab | r | h | bi | ab | r | h | bi | ||
| Andy Cornish lf-cf | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | Player 1 p | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jason Greenberg 3b | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Player 2 c | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dan Kerry cf | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Player 3 1b | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| (t4) Aspi Dimitrov p | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | Player 4 2b | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Kimiyoshi Saionji 2b | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | Player 5 3b | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Marty Cullen 1b | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | Player 6 ss | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Darrin Ward dh-rf | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | Player 7 lf | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Greg Bochan rf-lf | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | Player 8 cf | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kal Dimitrov c | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Player 9 rf | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lee Manning ss | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| TEAM TOTALS | 27 | 14 | 13 | 9 | TEAM TOTALS | 18 | 4 | 4 | 2 |
| E: Lee Manning(2), Player 5, Player 9. LOB: Northampton 3, Herts Falcons 6. 2B: Player 5. SB: Jason Greenberg(2), Marty Cullen(2), Dan Kerry, Aspi Dimitrov, Kimiyoshi Saionji, Player 3(3), Player 4, Player 6, Player 7. SF: Kimiyoshi Saionji, Player 9. |
| Herts Falcons | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| Aspi Dimitrov W | 5.00 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Northampton | ||||||
| Player 1 L | 4.67 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 4 | 1 |
| HBP: by Aspi Dimitrov (Player 3). , by Player 1 (Kimiyoshi Saionji). . , by Player 1 (Jason Greenberg). . WP: Aspi Dimitrov(2), Player 1(2). T: 1:45. A: 0. |
| GB Cadets at Herts Falcons | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score By Innings | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | R | H | E |
| GB Cadets | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Herts Falcons | 3 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 16 | 11 | 1 |
| Herts Falcons 16, GB Cadets 3 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herts Falcons | GB Cadets | ||||||||
| ab | r | h | bi | ab | r | h | bi | ||
| Andy Cornish c | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | Player 1 p | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Jason Greenberg 3b | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | Player 2 c | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Dan Kerry cf | 2 | 4 | 2 | 5 | Player 3 1b | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Kimiyoshi Saionji dh | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | Player 4 2b | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lee Manning 2b | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Player 5 3b | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Luis Goncalves ss | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | Player 6 ss | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Darrin Ward 1b | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Player 7 lf | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Greg Bochan lf | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Player 8 cf | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aspi Dimitrov rf | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | Player 9 rf | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Marty Cullen p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| TEAM TOTALS | 23 | 16 | 11 | 16 | TEAM TOTALS | 15 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| E: Luis Goncalves. LOB: Herts Falcons 4, GB Cadets 5. 2B: Andy Cornish. 3B: Dan Kerry. HR: Dan Kerry. SB: Dan Kerry(2), Jason Greenberg, Andy Cornish, Kimiyoshi Saionji, Luis Goncalves, Aspi Dimitrov, Player 1(2), Player 2(2). |
| Herts Falcons | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| Marty Cullen W | 4.00 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| GB Cadets | ||||||
| Player 1 L | 4.00 | 11 | 16 | 15 | 9 | 3 |
| HBP: by Marty Cullen (Player 8). . WP: Marty Cullen, Player 1(3). T: 1:45. A: 0. |
| Bristol Badgers at Herts Hawks | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score By Innings | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | R | H | E |
| Bristol Badgers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| Herts Hawks | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 1 |
| Herts Hawks 6, Bristol Badgers 1 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herts Hawks | Bristol Badgers | ||||||||
| ab | r | h | bi | ab | r | h | bi | ||
| Luis Goncalves ss | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Player 1 p | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Carlos Casal 3b | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | Player 2 c | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| John Oliver 1b | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Player 3 1b | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Louis Hare p | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Player 4 2b | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Dave Westfallen c | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Player 5 3b | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kal Dimitrov cf | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | Player 6 ss | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Humberto Goncalves 2b | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Player 7 lf | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jake Kikel lf | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | Player 8 cf | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Ilya Dimitrov rf | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Player 9 rf | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TEAM TOTALS | 20 | 6 | 5 | 3 | TEAM TOTALS | 19 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| E: Ilya Dimitrov, Player 5. LOB: Bristol Badgers 4, Herts Hawks 7. 2B: Luis Goncalves. 3B: Player 3. SB: Dave Westfallen(2), Luis Goncalves, Kal Dimitrov, Player 4(4), Player 1. |
| Herts Hawks | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| Louis Hare W | 5.33 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7 |
| Bristol Badgers | ||||||
| Player 1 L | 4.67 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 3 |
| HBP: by Player 1 (Jake Kikel). . PB: Player 2(4). T: 1:40. A: 0. |
| Croydon Pirates at Herts Falcons | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score By Innings | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | R | H | E |
| Croydon Pirates | 5 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 23 | 18 | 0 |
| Herts Falcons | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 |
| Croydon Pirates 23, Herts Falcons 0 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Croydon Pirates | Herts Falcons | ||||||||
| ab | r | h | bi | ab | r | h | bi | ||
| Player 6 ss | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | Luis Goncalves ss | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player 8 cf | 5 | 3 | 3 | 5 | Andy Cornish 3b | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Player 7 lf | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | Kimiyoshi Saionji 2b | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player 5 3b | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | Dan Kerry cf | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player 1 p | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | Darrin Ward p | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player 3 1b | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | Marty Cullen 1b | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player 4 2b | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | Greg Bochan rf | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player 9 rf | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Aspi Dimitrov lf | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Player 2 c | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | Lee Manning c | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TEAM TOTALS | 34 | 23 | 18 | 17 | TEAM TOTALS | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| E: Marty Cullen(3), Lee Manning(2), Luis Goncalves(2), Dan Kerry, Kimiyoshi Saionji. LOB: Herts Falcons 1, Croydon Pirates 4. 2B: Player 6, Player 1, Player 4. HR: Player 8, Player 7. SB: Player 7, Player 6, Player 9, Andy Cornish. |
| Croydon Pirates | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| Player 1 W | 4.00 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Herts Falcons | ||||||
| Darrin Ward L | 4.00 | 18 | 23 | 10 | 4 | 4 |
| HBP: by Darrin Ward (Player 9). . . WP: Darrin Ward. PB: Lee Manning(4). T: 1:40. A: 0. |
| Herts Hawks at Medway Mariners | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score By Innings | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | R | H | E |
| Herts Hawks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 2 |
| Medway Mariners | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 2 |
| Medway Mariners 5, Herts Hawks 2 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medway Mariners | Herts Hawks | ||||||||
| ab | r | h | bi | ab | r | h | bi | ||
| Player 1 p | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Luis Goncalves ss | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player 2 c | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | (b4) Andy Cornish ss | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player 3 1b | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | Carlos Casal 3b | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Player 4 2b | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | John Oliver p | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player 5 3b | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Louis Hare 1b | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Player 6 ss | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | Dave Westfallen c | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Player 7 lf | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | Kal Dimitrov rf-2b | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Player 8 cf | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Humberto Goncalves 2b | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player 9 rf | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | (b4) Ilya Dimitrov rf | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jake Kikel lf | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Dave Hamilton cf | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| TEAM TOTALS | 25 | 5 | 8 | 3 | TEAM TOTALS | 26 | 2 | 6 | 1 |
| E: Player 6, Player 5, Dave Westfallen, Andy Cornish. LOB: Herts Hawks 7, Medway Mariners 8. 2B: Dave Hamilton. SB: Player 2(2), Player 7, Jake Kikel. SB: Player 8. |
| Medway Mariners | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| Player 1 W | 6.00 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Herts Hawks | ||||||
| John Oliver L | 6.00 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 |
| WP: Player 1. PB: Player 2, Dave Westfallen. T: 1:40. A: 0. |
HERTS BASEBALL CLUB ANNOUNCES ALL-STAR WEEK SCHEDULE
One of the great weeks on the baseball calendar is Major League Baseball’s All-Star Week. Herts Baseball Club also tries to recreate this great tradition here in the United Kingdom by running events alongside those which take place on the other side of the Atlantic.
Herts Baseball Club has just announced the events schedule for All-Star Week.
Saturday, 12 July 2008
Members of the Herts AAA, AA and A adult teams will head South for this year’s International London Tournament held in Croydon over two days. Most hotel rooms in that part of London have already been booked as Herts Baseball Club members intend to make an all-out invasion of Croydon. For the first time in its history, the club has entered two teams in what is arguably the biggest adult baseball event in this country. The tournament game schedule will be confirmed a few days before the event. In the evening, following the first day of games, the Tournament will stage the annual Home Run Derby.
Sunday, 13 July 2008
Day 2 of the International London Tournament including the deciding games to determine the winners and the losers.
Monday, 14 July 2008
(TV) 01:00am 2008 MLB Home-Run Derby (Watch it live on MLB.COM)
MLB .COM is currently running some promotional campaigns which offer the opportunity to watch one week of MLB TV free of charge.
Tuesday, 15 July 2008
(TV) 01:05am MLB 2008 All-Star Game, American League vs National league (Watch it live on Channel Five)
Wednesday, 16 July 2008
5:45pm, Herts Raptors will be joined by Milwaukee Brewers Coach, Sam Dempster for a special training session at Grovehill Ballpark. This session is also open to Herts Hawks, Herts Falcons and potential new member of the club. If you are not a member and you would like to give baseball a go please contact us for details how to take part in this special training session baseball@hertsbaseball.com
Thursday, 17 July 2008
4:00pm, Herts Baseball Little League Players will be joined by Milwaukee Brewers Coach, Sam Dempster for a training session at Grovehill Ballpark.
5:45pm, Herts Falcons will be joined by Milwaukee Brewers Coach, Sam Dempster for a special training session at Grovehill Ballpark.
Saturday, 19 July 2008
9:30 – 10:30 – Herts Baseball Little League Clinic run by Great Britain Baseball National Team Coaches
10:30 – 1:00 – Herts Baseball Little League (Yankees @ Red Sox, Blue Jays @ Cubs, Cubs @ Yankees, Red Sox @ Blue Jays)
1:30pm – GB Juniors National Team vs GB Seniors Trialists
Great opportunity for baseball fans in and around Hertfordshire to take a look at some of the best young baseball players in Great Britain.
Sunday, 20 July 2008
11:00pm, AA League: Herts Hawks vs Brentwood Stags, Grovehill Ballpark
3:00pm, Single-A League: Herts Raptors vs Bracknell Blazers, Grovehill Ballpark
RAPTORS DOWNED BY ARROWS
Report from Herts Baseball Newswire Correspondent, HUNTER DEVINE
The Raptors faced their rivals, the Arrows 2, for the fourth time this season, leading the season series two games to one. However, it was the Arrows who would walk away victors in this match up, powered by a homerun and many other timely hits.
Manager, Jake Kikel, started for the Raptors, however, struggled with control due to the harsh winds in the area. He was not added either by the defence in the early goings either, and eventually gave way to relief pitcher Mark Hoffman who pitched well, but could not hold the surging Arrows back. The game was relatively close until the Arrows pulled ahead by a wide margin, putting victory out of reach for the Raptors.
The Raptor hitting remains a positive point as they continue to score runs with relative ease. Defence will obviously be on the agenda in training for the next few weeks, the Raptors next match being a month away.
| Essex Arrows 2 at Herts Raptors | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score By Innings | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
| Essex Arrows 2 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 25 | 26 | 0 |
| Herts Raptors | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 12 | 6 |
| Essex Arrows 2 25, Herts Raptors 14 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essex Arrows 2 | Herts Raptors | ||||||||
| ab | r | h | bi | ab | r | h | bi | ||
| Player 1 p | 7 | 6 | 6 | 4 | Hunter Devine 2b | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Player 2 c | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | Jake Kikel p-xf1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Player 3 1b | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | Paul Hawes rf-1b | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Player 4 2b | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | Rod Ariss cf | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Player 5 3b | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | Mark Hoffman 1b-p | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Player 6 ss | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Andy Ringrose c | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Player 7 lf | 5 | 3 | 4 | 2 | Andrew Slater 3b | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Player 8 cf | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | Ilya Dimitrov lf | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Player 9 rf | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | Pete Cox ss-2b | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Robert Crouch rf | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| TEAM TOTALS | 43 | 25 | 26 | 19 | TEAM TOTALS | 31 | 14 | 12 | 11 |
| E: Andrew Slater(3), Pete Cox(2), Andy Ringrose. LOB: Herts Raptors 11, Essex Arrows 2 13. 2B: Player 7(2), Player 1, Player 9, Hunter Devine. HR: Player 9. SB: Player 1(8), Player 2(5), Player 3(4), Player 4(2), Player 5(2), Player 9(2), Player 8(2), Player 7, Hunter Devine(6), Jake Kikel(2), Andy Ringrose, Ilya Dimitrov, Pete Cox, Robert Crouch. |
| Essex Arrows 2 | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| Player 1 W | 7.00 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 9 |
| Herts Raptors | ||||||
| Jake Kikel L | 3.33 | 15 | 13 | 9 | 7 | 6 |
| Mark Hoffman | 3.00 | 11 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 5 |
| HBP: by Jake Kikel (Player 3), by Player 1 (Hunter Devine). . . , by Jake Kikel (Player 9). . . . PB: Player 2, Andy Ringrose(2). T: 4:00. A: 30. |
HERTS RAPTORS SUFFER A DAY FULL OF LOSSES.
Report by Herts Baseball Newswire reporter, HUNTER DEVINE
The Herts Raptors suffered their second walk off loss of the season on Sunday, falling 18-17 to the Braintree Rays. In both cases the Raptors had sizable leads only to watch them slip away through poor defence.
Leading 10-2 through the first half of the game, Jake Kikel had thrown a gem of a game and the Raptors bench were talking of slaughter rule victories a bit too soon as the Rays struck back reducing the once sizeable lead to a mere few tallies.
The Raptors refused to surrender however, never actually giving up their lead, and adding extra runs on heading into the bottom of the 9th with a three run lead and Mark Hoffman on the mound. With two outs, bases empty and the game tied, the Rays relief pitcher smacked a ball, splitting the outfielders whom could not retrieve it in time due to their lack of speed and the lack of a fence, allowing the runner to come home and win the game.
It should be noted that the Raptors played with exactly 9 players all day, where as the Rays had 15 and made numerous substitutes. However, that is still no consolation.
There were positive aspects in the game, though. Andrew Slater, in his first game back after a two week break, hit the ball exceedingly well getting a double, as well as being robbed of a second.
Not only was the game lost, but two of the team's favourite bats; the red 33″, much to Slater's despair, and the standard 32″ were too.
| Herts Raptors at Braintree Rays | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score By Innings | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | R | H | E |
| Herts Raptors | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 26 | 3 |
| Braintree Rays | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 18 | 21 | 1 |
| Braintree Rays 18, Herts Raptors 17 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braintree Rays | Herts Raptors | ||||||||
| ab | r | h | bi | ab | r | h | bi | ||
| Player 1 p | 4 | 5 | 2 | 1 | Hunter Devine 2b | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Player 2 c | 6 | 3 | 4 | 2 | Jake Kikel p-1b | 6 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Player 3 1b | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | Mark Hoffman 1b-p | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| Player 4 2b | 6 | 0 | 2 | 1 | Jonathon Lewys c | 6 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| Player 5 3b | 6 | 2 | 3 | 0 | Paul Hawes cf | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Player 6 ss | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | Steve Nippress lf | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Player 7 lf | 6 | 2 | 5 | 2 | Andrew Slater 3b | 6 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Player 8 cf | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | Ilya Dimitrov ss | 6 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Player 9 rf | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | Robert Crouch rf | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| TEAM TOTALS | 45 | 18 | 21 | 11 | TEAM TOTALS | 50 | 17 | 26 | 16 |
| E: Player 5, Andrew Slater(2), Ilya Dimitrov. LOB: Herts Raptors 9, Braintree Rays 12. 2B: Player 2, Andrew Slater(2), Mark Hoffman, Jake Kikel, Paul Hawes. HR: Player 2. SB: Player 1(8), Player 2(3), Player 7(3), Player 8(3), Player 9(3), Player 6(2), Player 3, Jonathon Lewys(4), Mark Hoffman(3), Jake Kikel(2), Paul Hawes(2), Hunter Devine(2), Ilya Dimitrov(2), Andrew Slater, Steve Nippress. |
| Braintree Rays | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| Player 1 W | 9.00 | 26 | 17 | 16 | 2 | 6 |
| Herts Raptors | ||||||
| Jake Kikel | 6.00 | 13 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 10 |
| Mark Hoffman L | 3.00 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 2 |
| HBP: by Player 1 (Steve Nippress). , by Jake Kikel (Player 1). . , by Mark Hoffman (Player 1). . . WP: Mark Hoffman(3). T: 4:00. A: 30. |