HERTS RAPTORS 27 

ESSEX ARROWS 11

British Single-A League

 

Report by Newswire reporter HUNTER DEVINE

 

The Herts Raptors returned to face Arrows, the team that two weeks earlier overcame an eight run deficit to win in the bottom of the 9th against them. This time, however, the Raptors would manage to retain their lead scoring early and often as well as keeping the opposition off the score board for most of the game.

 

Jake Kikel went the distance with a complete game despite the boiling temperatures as did Jon Lewys, who made his first start behind the plate, playing superbly. The defence played amazingly with some beautiful plays by Jim Hyde, Andrew Slater and Rob Jones as well as Rod Ariss nailing a runner at the plate- though injuring his arm on the throw.

 

The offence managed to feast off of inconsistent Arrows' pitching with big hits from many of the hitters all day. It was the top of the 9th which was the biggest boost for the team as they piled on some insurance runs to prevent a repeat of before. The team were so desperate to win and get more runs that with 2 outs Hunter Devine stole home successfully, though Jim Hyde brought all the runners home on the next pitch with another big hit.

 

Video highlights created by Raptors Manager, JAKE KIKEL

Herts Raptors at Essex Arrows
Score By Innings	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Herts Raptors	3	0	3	5	1	0	1	2	4	19
Essex Arrows 2	2	0	1	0	1	3	0	10	3	20

 

Going into the bottom of the 8^th inning Herts Raptors could smell their first win of the season.  An 8-run lead was exactly what the Raptors wanted at such a late stage of the game against local rivals Essex Arrows.

 

But then the Raptors suffered a collapse which could even rival the Herts Hawks collapse against Southampton in 2006.  They conceded 10 runs in the bottom of the 8^th and were now trailing 17-15.

 

In the top of the 9^th manager Jake Kikel managed to rally his troops again putting 4 runs on the board and once again taking a lead, 19-17.  The pressure was on.  Unfortunately it wasn’t to be for Hertfordshire newest league team – they lost 19-20. 

 

Despite the demoralising loss, the team can take a lot of positives from this game.  The Raptors’ bats are really coming along.  The pitching and defence showed improvement from the previous game with some outstanding plays from Hunter Devine, Andrew Slater and catcher Andy Ringrose.  Rod Ariss and Jim Hyde will certainly be a tremendous boost for the club.  They marked their debuts with a triple and a homer, respectively.

 

The team will need to pick themselves up quickly and start again next Sunday on the Road at the Braintree Rays.  The Raptors are hoping to have several key players return for that game, including Mark Hoffman, Rob Jones, Jonathon Lewys, Pete Cox, Paul Hawes and also Rob Crouch who is gradually getting back to 100% fitness after a freakish Spring Training injury.

This article was written by Herts Baseball Newswire syndicated reporter, PAUL RAYBOULD.  With Raybould now a member of the Old Timers, this article gives a fascinating view from the other dug-out in last Sunday’s season opening encounter.

 

April 20, 2008 will go down in British baseball history as the day the Old Timers played their very first game in a BBF organised league. To make it even more interesting, the Old Timers, who are packed full of players with more than 20 years of experience, faced one of the newest teams in the country, the Herts Raptors. It certainly was a case of age and experience against youth and vitality.

 

It was only fitting that Old Timers manager Peter Crook, enjoying his 60^th year in the game, elected to put long-time servant of the club George Simmons on the mound at the start of this historic game. With each passing year, George seems to get slower yet his pitches seems to get harder to hit. As each inning went by, Herts batters kept hitting little dribblers or tiny pop ups. George pitched 6 full innings collecting 5 strike outs and walked nobody. His control on the day was outstanding, only going to 3 balls with one batter.

 

Jake Kikel, the Raptors manager and by far the most experienced player on the team (and old enough to be an Old Timer!), took the mound in the bottom of the 1^st. Considering his limited pitching experience, Jacob showed good mechanics and control. It certainly looked like his talented son Peter has given Jake a few lessons. Nevertheless, it pays to know your strike zone and even if they can’t run or throw as well as they used to, the Old Timers hitters knew when to swing or leave a pitch. With each inning, the Old Timers added runs culminating with a big 12-run 4^th. This included a solo home run shot from Justin Horsnell who later also clouted a 3-bagger.

 

Yours truly took the mound for the Old Timers in the 7^th and after a shaky start, managed to get through two innings without conceding an earned run. Meanwhile, Jake gave way in the bottom of the 7^th to Jonathon Lewys.

 

Although the game could have been called in the middle of the 7^th on the Slaughter Rule, both teams agreed to play on. This gave the Raptors a little more playing experience and the Old Timers a chance to stretch their rusty arms.

 

Without wishing to sound arrogant, the Raptors should not feel too downhearted in losing to the Old Timers. The current OT team includes a number of “younger” players who have played at a high level and still have plenty of ability to offer. Meanwhile, it was clear that there are players in the Herts squad who will learn quickly and I expect to see a closer game when the teams meet again.

 

Old Timers Batting Order

 

Peter Barratt – Left-field

Gary Liston – Catcher

Mike Harold – Shortstop

Justin Horsnell – Third-base

Brian Currier – Centre-field

Paul Raybould – Second-base/Pitcher/First-base

Tony Smyth – First-base-Pitcher

Rob Walker/Billy Gibney – Right-field

George Simmons – Pitcher/Second-base

 

A special thanks to Old Timer, Paul Raybould, for contributing to the baseball coverage on the Herts Baseball Newswire.  Paul was a member of Herts Baseball Club for many years and the club now considers him Herts’ very own representative in the great institution that is the Old Timers Baseball Club.

posted on behalf of Herts Baseball Newswire reporter, ROB JONES

The Herts Raptors learned some harsh lessons in their first competitive game, against the Old Timers of Enfield. The score was tight heading into the bottom of the fourth, but then defensive lapses by Herts, and aggressive base-running by the home team, blew the game open. The Raptors were on the wrong end of several close umpiring calls, but kept their heads up to score some late runs, finally going down 33-8.