Category: Herts Spring League

by AspiDimitrov

Cambridge and Guildford win HSL Championships

Herts Hawks starter Nic Goetz allowed only 1 run in a very effective complete game against HSL AAA Champions, Cambridge Royals

The Cambridge Royals won the HSL AAA Championship while the Guildford Mavericks are the HSL AA Champions as spring training ended for minor league teams and they prepare for the show to begin next weekend.

HSL – AAA

Sunday’s HSL schedule was revised slightly due to the London Mets (U17) absence. The key clash of the day was the game between the two unbeaten teams Cambridge Royals and Essex RedBacks. Four pitches into the game and the RedBacks starting pitcher pulled a groin muscle. He suffered the same injury in the previous weekend of the HSL so this is a major blow for the Redbacks ahead of the new season. The Royals took advantage and won the game 10-2. They did lose their second game of the day against the Herts Hawks 13-1. Hawks pitcher Nic Goetz picking up the win with a strong performance in that game. Despite the loss the Royals knew that they had clinched the HSL AAA title regardless of the score in the other games involving the RedBacks and MK Bucks as they had beaten both teams and in the event of a tie in the standings the Royals would be the winners on their head-to-head record.

The RedBacks won their game against MK Bucks in what turned out to be a game to determine the runner-up of the HSL AAA. Rich Chesterton was the winning pitcher for the team from Essex.

The Sidewinders were winless so far this Spring and despite having a shortage of players on the day they did have enough quality to win both their games to climb up two places in the table. They ended the day with an exciting 6-5 win against the MK Bucks. Tadaki Junior was the starting pitcher picking up the win while Tadaki Senior picked up the save restraining a last-inning rally by the Bucks.

HSL – AA

On Saturday the Guildford Mavericks clashed with the Essex RedBacks II in the HSL AA Final. Both teams stayed unbeaten in the group stage but it was Guildford who came out on top 13-5. In the 3rd and 4th Place game the Kent Mariners dominated against the Herts Raptors winning convincingly 28-10. The second team from Guildford also had a good day beating the London Marauders 13-8. The GB cadets secured 7th place finish with a big win against the Herts Eagles who were missing some key players like starting pitcher Theo Scheepers, Oz Kemal, Will Belbin, among others.

THE SHOW BEGINS

This year’s HSL has proven to be a big success. A record 20 teams took part and with support from very high quality umpires and great venues in Herts and Guildford this felt more like the postseason National Baseball Championships than Spring Training.

Herts Baseball Club President, Aspi Dimitrov said: “We have had fantastic feedback from participating teams, players, coaches and fans” and he added that “the HSL has become a very enjoyable and productive competition in the British Baseball calendar and the best way to prepare for the start of a new season.”

With Spring Training completed all eyes will now turn towards next Sunday’s opening day games of the 2012 season with NBL, AAA, AA and A League teams all in action across the country.

Click to view 2012 HSL Scoreboard

Click to view 2012 HSL Final Standings

by Herts Baseball News Editor

HSL ROUNDUP: Week 2 of the AAA and AA Divisions

View over the new diamond at Grovehill Ballpark as the new BSUK-funded installations start to take shape

HSL AAA

The Cambridge Royals are in pole position in the HSL AAA division after taking a win from one of the favourites, the MK Bucks. This was built as a major clash and the two teams didn’t disappoint producing a classic with the Royals coming out on top 4-2.

Joining Cambridge at the top of the standings with a 100% record are the Essex RedBacks. They made it two wins out of two with a win against the Sidewinders and the star of the show was Franklin ‘Chicki’ Martinez with back-to-back home runs on the old diamond at Grovehill Ballpark. The first was a 3-run blast over the right centerfield wall coming in the third inning and he followed it up with a 2-run home run in the fourth inning. It would take something very special to beat Martinez for MVP of the HSL.

The London Mets U17 felt they could have done better in week one against the Bucks, and they seemed determined to make that point with a convincing win against the Herts Hawks which puts them back in the hunt for the HSL AAA title.

The final round of games in the HSL AAA will all take place at Grovehill Ballpark on Sunday, 8 April. The day features a wild schedule with each team playing 3 games, so every team is mathematically still able to clinch the HSL AAA Championship.

HSL AA

The Herts Raptors were in a buoyant mood after two wins on Saturday pushed them into fourth place of HSL AA

In the HSL AA the Guildford Mavericks and the Essex RedBacks II find themselves at the top of the standings, both maintaining an unbeaten record with two more wins for both teams this week. They will meet in the HSL AA Final on Saturday, 7 April, at Grovehill Ballpark, to determine the 2012 HSL AA Champions. First pitch is at 11am.

The Kent Mariners and the Herts Raptors had a disappointing first week unable to pick up a win, but they certainly made up for that this week with two wins which push them right up the table into third and fourth place, respectively, and they will face each other in the Bronze Medal game on the same day at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead, starting at 14:30.

The London Marauders just missed out on the Bronze medal game after losing to the Raptors in the final game on Saturday, which meant that they finish in fifth place, one below the Raptors. This was despite both teams having identical records of 2 wins and 2 losses each. The tie-break rule was applied pushing the Raptors above the Marauders as they won in the head-to-head clash. The Marauders will meet Guildford Mavericks II in the game for the 5th place in the final standings.

The game to decide the 7th and 8th place in the overall standings will be between Herts Eagles and the GB Cadets.

Full HSL Scoreboard and Schedule

HSL Standings

by Herts Baseball News Editor

NBL Opening Day baseball extravaganza for the whole family this Sunday

Ceremonial first pitch - 2012 season will open this Sunday
If you happen to be anywhere around Hemel Hempstead this Sunday, you wouldn’t want to miss the baseball gala at Grovehill Ballpark.  This is the Opening Day of the 2012 National Baseball League (NBL) season as the Herts Falcons face the Bracknell Blazers, but there will be so much more as part of this special day.  
EVERYONE PLAYS
The show begins with a softball tournament for the whole family.  The teams will feature members of the Herts youth teams, but very importantly it will see their parents, other family members and friends join in the fun similar to the MLB All-Star Celebrity and Legends Softball Game. The club is also inviting supporters and friends of the club to get involved in this game by simply coming down to the ballpark wearing sporty clothing. For more details and to sign up for the softball tournament contact the club.
HSL CONTINUES
At the same time on the adjacent diamond the Herts Spring League (HSL) continues with 6 more teams in action starting from 10am and finishing at 7pm.
THE MAIN EVENT
The softball tournament will be followed by Awards presentations to the Herts youth team players and then the Opening Game of the 2012 NBL season, national anthem and all.  Can the Herts Falcons get off to a winning start? Everyone connected with the club is optimistic that this year the team would be able to compete in the title race and, who knows, perhaps the NBL trophy will return to Hertfordshire.  It has been 43 years since the Watford Sun Rockets lifted the NBL trophy beating the Liverpool Trojans 8-7 in extra innings in the 1969 NBL Final.
HOT DOGS
The baseball season cannot start without hot dogs at the ballpark.  Fans and players will be able to enjoy not just hot dogs, but all sorts of other snacks including freshly made Krispy Kreme donuts, hot and cold beverages and more.
WEATHER
Will the sunny warm weather stay with us for the weekend’s event? If the event has to be postponed due to rain, this will be announced on hertsbaseball.com, and to all followers of Herts Baseball on twitter and facebook.  Click here to follow us on Twitter or to like us on Facebookand you will receive a weather alert if the event is cancelled.
THE DAY’S SCHEDULE
  • · 9:45am Softball Tournament participants (young and old, male and female) report to ballpark
  • · 10:00am Softball Tournament begins
  • · 10:00am Herts Hawks vs London Mets U17 (HSL-AAA)
  • · 12:00pm Herts Little League Awards Presentation
  • · 1:00pm Milton Keynes Bucks vs Cambridge Royals (HSL-AAA)
  • · 1:20pm The National Anthem
  • · 1:22pm Ceremonial First Pitch
  • · 1:30pm Herts Falcons vs Bracknell Blazers (NBL 2012 Opening Game)
  • · 4:00pm Herts Falcons vs Bracknell Blazers (Game 2)
  • · 4:00pm Essex RedBacks vs Sidewinders (HSL-AAA)
VENUE
For venue address and directions click here.
by Herts Baseball News Editor

HSL AAA and AA week 1 roundup

HSL-AAA 

When the BBF AAA League lineup was announced many fans were surprised to see the Cambridge Royals in the list.  It is very rare for a team to rise by two league tiers which is what happened in the case of the Royals this winter.  They may have played in the Single-A last year but have already had a strong performance in their first HSL AAA game beating the Sidewinders 32-5. With new additions like former Bracknell Blazers starting pitcher, Matt Maitland, they look like they will not be out of place in the AAA this year. 

The Essex Redbacks were just as impressive winning 16-7 against the Herts Hawks.  A grand slam by Matt Jennings put them in the lead and didn’t look back after that. 

The MK Bucks managed to squeeze out a 7-4 win against the impressive London Mets Under-17 team.  The boys from the capital were ruing a missed opportunity. They outhit the Bucks 10-to-4, but crucially left 11 runners stranded on base.  Defensively they ended up committing more errors in this game than their last four Spring Training games combined. 

HSL-AA

Guildford Mavericks I opened their HSL campaign with win over Kent

Over in Guildford the HSL-AA action involved teams from South of London.  John Kristensen took the win for Guildford Mavericks I in a close game that was tied at 5-5 until the 6th innings when Guildford broke it open with a 5-run bottom half of the inning. Guildford offensive highlights were doubles from James Guerra and John Kristensen, whilst Kent’s Jamie Morris also had an extra base hit. Mavericks starter, Sam Jones gave up just 3 hits in 4 innings of work. In a high scoring contest, Guildford Mavericks II scored early and often to ease to victory over the Barons. In a game dominated by offence, the Mavericks benefited from Owen Hazelby going 5-for-6 (2B), along with extra base hits from John Gray and Gillian Conway. Torbay had an extra base hit from Tony Watson, and Gabor Nemeth went 2-for-3. Owen Hazelby took the win for Guildford.

This year the HSL features the GB Under-15 National Team and it was fascinating how the superstars of tomorrow will compete against their older opponents. A strong start from GB and Herts pitcher Tom Armstrong, followed by Patrick Hansford produced a close game versus the London Marauders. They were tied 4-4 going into the 4th and GB put up 8 runs with two outs, but couldn’t close out the game as London came back with 10 of their own to win as the GB pitching and defence started to struggle. In their second GB faced the Essex RedBacks.  They had another great start this time from Jonathan Fretheim who pitched two quick innings securing a 3-0 lead going into the fourth inning. Once again the fourth innings curse struck as a combination of pitchers struggling to find the zone and poor defence resulted in GB conceding 12 runs. Fretheim came back into the game to close out the inning and the game, but the damage was done. 

The Herts derby game between the Raptors and Eagles ended with a win for the Eagles which featured a youthful lineup of Under-17 players.  Starter Jake Caress pitched a complete game for the win supported by lively Eagles bats to record a 5-3 vistory. The Raptors remain without a win after they lost their earlier game against the Essex RedBacks II.  The second game for the Eagles was against the London Marauders who were looking for their second win.  Zack Longboy started for the Eagles.  He needed one inning to get a feel for the mound and then produced a very confident pitching performance.  Going into the fourth inning the game was tied 1-1 which is very unusual for two Single-A teams, but it must be said that the Marauders were always threatening and it took a 1-3-5 triple-play to keep the game tied.  A combination of good hitting by the Marauders and too many London players getting on base after being hit by pitch or walking was costly for the Eagles and they couldn’t catch up. 

The HSL AAA and AA action continues next weekend. 

Click to view full HSL scoreboard and standings

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Dbacks sweep to win 2012 HSL Majors

Jake Michels was on fire against the Nationals (for more HSL photos by Jim Garnett visit britishbaseball.blogspot.co.uk)

The Lakenheath Dbacks steam-rolled their opponents to win the Majors Division of the 2012 Herts Spring League (HSL). The Harlow Nationals came in second after a win against Essex Arrows to add to their victory over the London Mets in week one.

MICHELS DOMINATES ON THE MOUND

The final week of HSL games for the country’s top teams started with a convincing win for the Herts Falcons over the Harlow Nationals. The Nats had many members of their championship-winning roster including the 2011 MVP, Edwin Alcantara, Maikel Azcuy, Brendan Cunliffe, Marty Cullen, Carlos Casal and the magical short stop, Luis Goncalves, who was facing his former team mates from Herts having spent five years as a player of the Falcons, however there were some notable absentees. Many of their players were called up by the GB Under-19 National Team for a friendly game in Birmingham. They were also missing ace pitcher, Jason Roberts, with unconfirmed reports that he is on the DL and may miss opening day.

Their absence cannot take away from the impressive performance of the Falcons. Their new arrival from New York, Jake Michels, started on the mound and pitched a complete game shutout allowing only one hit and striking out 9 Nationals in the process. The Falcons offence was also looking strong giving the hosts a 9-0 win.

ARROWS’ NEW LOOK ROSTER

The Nationals bounced back in a close game against the Essex Arrows winning 4-2. There were some notable additions to the Essex Arrows roster including one of the best catchers in the NBL, Jon Mabie and infielder, John Blose, both moving to Essex from the Mildenhall Bulldogs. Franklin Perez is a new arrival from the Nationals and the legendary Darrin Ward who moves across to Essex after 4 years with Herts. Before the games Herts presented Ward with a series of awards which he earned playing for the Falcons in 2011 including Best Pitcher, Home Run Champion, Batting Champion, and most RBIs, underlining what a big loss his departure will be for Herts. The player who caught everyone’s attention was the Arrows’ new unnamed shortstop, who made two spectacular diving plays during the game showing off his acrobatic skills and strong arm.

The Arrows also lost their second game of the day to the Dbacks, who also beat the London Mets earlier with an impressive 6-1 score line. This was the Mets’ second loss in the HSL, but they recovered to secure a very impressive 7-0 win against the Herts Falcons. Starting pitcher Pietro Sollecito kept the Falcons bats very quite with a lot of control and movement on his pitches.

Herts Falcons' new arrival Kevin Niedringhaus is strating to attract many fans to Grovehill Ballpark (for more HSL photos by Jim Garnett visit britishbaseball.blogspot.co.uk)

Despite the loss the Falcons still had a chance to win the 2012 HSL Majors as the suspended game from week 1 against the Dbacks was resumed. Lakenheath were leading 7-5 and they needed only 3 more outs in the bottom of the final inning to end their HSL campaign with a 100%-record. New arrival, Cris Hiche, led off the inning by getting on base for the Falcons, but that didn’t seem to worry Dbacks pitcher, Carl Petmecky, who retired the next three batters stranding Hiche on base.

STAGE SET FOR OPENING DAY

On their HSL showing, Lakenheath look like the team to beat, especially when Ken Reber returns to the UK in the next few weeks, however teams like London and Harlow also looked impressive despite missing some of their big names. Essex Arrows also look strong. Herts made a series of high-profile signings and all eyes will be on them. Then there are the Bracknell Blazers, Croydon Pirates, and Southampton Mustangs who are preparing for the new season behind closed doors and could have a surprise for the rest of the league next Sunday, 1 April, when the show begins with the Herts Falcons hosting the Bracknell Blazers at Grovehill Ballpark. First pitch 1:30pm.

Click to view full HSL scoreboard and standings

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Weather spoils exciting 2012 HSL opening day

 

Dbacks rally back in the rain against the Falcons (For more photos from the Opening day of the 2012 HSL visit: http://britishbaseball.blogspot.co.uk/)

The Opening Day of the 2012 Herts Spring League got off to a thrilling start with high quality baseball on display, but after just one hour and forty minutes heavy rain halted proceedings.   

The Harlow Nationals had the most to shout about at the end of the day as they find themselves at the top of the HSL Majors standings.  The 2011 NBL Champions overcame the London Mets in a close game.  Nationals starting pitcher Brendan Cunliffe had a solid outing and the run support from the Nationals’ batting lineup.  Marty Cullen Sr. came in to close the game and pick up the save to squeeze out a 4-2 win for Harlow just before play was suspended for the rest of the day.  Luis Goncalves went 3-for-4 for the Nationals with 14-year-old Marty Cullen Jr going 1-for-1 on his debut for the Nationals.

 

The London Mets can feel disappointed as they had the opportunity to win the game, but found two of their runners thrown out at home plate ending their offensive rallies.  Were the London base-coaches a bit too eager after a long winter break? Perhaps credit should be given to the Nationals defence for executing the plays. 

At the same time on the new diamond at Grovehill Ballpark in Herts the Lakenheath Diamondbacks and the Herts Falcons produced a high quality game for the fans who braved the weather.  The Falcons started the game with a lineup featuring some of the star-signings which they unveiled recently.  Mike Osborn started on the mound and pitched with the control and effectiveness which fans of British Baseball have become accustomed to in the last 14 years.  Cris Hiche and Jake Michels started at first and third base respectively, with Kevin Niedringhaus and Kimiyoshi Saionji as the middle infielders.  Louis Hare came in as short stop later in the game. Starting catcher was the longest-serving player of Herts Baseball Club and Falcons Manager, Lee Manning.  In centerfield was the reliable glove of 2011 Falcons MVP and leadoff batter, Mahendra Prasad.  In left and right field were two new players the identity of which remains something of a mystery.  The club has indicated that more roster announcements are expected to be made shortly so we hope that the identity of these players will be made public in the next few days. 

The Falcons took the lead after a two-run double by Niedringhaus.  The Dbacks gradually came back into the game and going into the late innings they tied the game 3-3.  The fans may have come out to see the new Herts arrivals, but it was the Herts veteran, Kimiyoshi Saionji, who stole the show with a two-run home run flying over the right field wall. 

With a 5-3 lead and a solid defensive performance up to that point, Herts seemed in control going into the sixth and final inning, but then the heavens opened turning the ballgame into a water-polo match-up.  The rain clearly affected Osborn’s previously impeccable control resulting in four consecutive walks.   

Lakenheath took full advantage of this and drove in four runs to take a 7-5 lead at which point the game was suspended in the top of the sixth inning due to the rain, with the Falcons unable to bat in the bottom of the inning as the home team.  

To resolve the outcome of this incomplete game, the HSL Commissioner had to refer to the MLB Rules and Regulations. The MLB Rules indicate that suspended games should be resumed the next time the two teams meet, but as the HSL schedule does not have any more games between the two teams, the rule indicates that “any suspended game not completed prior to the last scheduled game between the two teams during the championship season shall become a called game.” It further states that “If such game becomes a called game and has progressed far enough to become a regulation game, and one team is ahead, the team that is ahead shall be declared the winner”, regardless of the fact that the home team has not had the opportunity to bat in the bottom of the inning.   

This meant that the game was to be declared a 7-5 win for Lakenheath, however in an act of sportsmanship the Diamondbacks offered to resume the game and complete the sixth inning on Saturday, March 24 after the end of the other HSL Majors games scheduled on that date. 

With the rain wiping out the remaining games of the day, the four teams involved in these two games managed to have game time against closely-matched opponents which will be valuable for those teams as they prepare for Opening Day on April 1st.  The Essex Arrows were the unlucky fifth team which unfortunately did not see game time and they were visibly disappointed waiting for a long period of time after play was suspended in the hope that the standing water would disappear. 

The Grovehill Ballpark grounds crew felt that they “should have suspended play earlier and covered the critical areas with tarpaulin”, however that may not have solved the problem as unlike MLB clubs Herts do not have a tarpaulin large enough to cover the whole infield. In any case the rain returned later in the day, which would have made it impossible to play any of the subsequent games. 

The action continues next weekend with the AAA and AA divisions staring their HSL campaign, which means that all 20 HSL teams will be in action at the baseball diamonds in Herts and Guildford, weather permitting. 

For more pictures from the Opening day of the 2012 HSL visit:  britishbaseball.blogspot.co.uk 

See full 2012 HSL games  schedule

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Team rosters to be announced on Herts TV tonight

Herts TV host Ken Pike and special guests wil be analysing the rosters tonight

We are counting down to the first pitch of the 2012 Herts Spring League and the Managers of the Herts adult league teams will be announcing their preliminary rosters for the upcoming Herts Spring League games.  The announcement will be shown on the Herts TV Channel at 10:00pm, Thursday, 15 March 2012, (right after the end of the televised football game Manchester City vs Sporting Lisbon). 

 

The show will be hosted by Herts Baseball TV’s anchorman, Ken Pike.  

Viewers will be able to interact and chat with each other using the ChatZone on the side of the TV screen and via facebook or twitter. 

It must be noted that the Herts team managers are still evaluating players, especially as new players are arriving every week. Therefore the rosters which will be announced are not final and may be subject to changes. For example, players may receive a call up from another team etc.