Category: Hunlock Series

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Hunlock team managers revealed. Stars from as far as Guildford and Liverpool added to the Draft

Cris Hiche (left) and Jarrod Pretorius (right) faced each other in Game 6 of the NBL Final. They will face off again as Hunlock Series player/managers (photo by Jim Garnett, British Baseball Magazine)

We are counting down to the 2012 Hunlock Series Draft which will be shown on the Herts Baseball TV Channel this Thursday, 20 September at 8pm.

Dave Tretheway (left) and Ryan Bird (right) have teamed up with Jarrod Pretorius in an all-South African managerial team of White Lightning

The managers of the teams have just been announced. The Blue Dogs won it 12 months ago and returning to defend the Hunlock Series title is their manager, John Kjorstad. The Blue Dogs swept their opponents away losing only 2 of their 9 games. Can the Blue Dogs win it again?

After a successful debut year as the manager of the Herts U17 team and one of the key members of the Herts Falcons, Cris Hiche has been confirmed as the manager of the Black Widows. 12 months ago they finished last and Hiche will be hoping to improve on their 2011 record of 2 wins and 7 losses.

John Kjorstad (pictured) and Andrew Slater had reasons to be pleased as their Blue Dogs won the Series 12 months ago. Can the Blue Dogs pull it off again.

The Red Roosters have a new manager. Ken Pike had the last 12 months away from managerial duties after managing the Herts Raptors in 2010 and 2011. But he cannot shake off the managerial bug and he is back in the hot seat again. The Red Roosters had arguably the best squad last year and were the hot favourites, so it was a major upset that they could only win 5 of the 9 games.

White Lightning were last year’s expansion team and they will start the Series with, not one but, 3 co-managers – Dave Tretheway, Jarrod Pretorius and Ryan Bird. All three of them played in the Final of this year’s NBL National Championships between the Herts Falcons and the Harlow Nationals. Bird and Tretheway were part of this year’s phenomenal Falcons team while Jarrod Pretorius was arguably one of the MVPs in the NBL with the Nationals.  All three of them have played for the South Africa National Team. Will they target the other South African players in the Draft to turn White Lightning into Team South Africa?

There will be a familiar face in the Hunlock Series as Marty Cullen will be one of the players in the Draft

Performances in previous years of the Hunlock Series will have hardly any bearing on this years competition as all teams start with a blank sheet of paper and will have to build their teams from scratch as part of the Draft.

Ken Pike is back in the hot seat as the manager of the Red Roosters

There will be a plethora of baseball talent to choose from. All members of the Herts Eagles, Herts Raptors, Herts Hawks, Herts Falcons and the Herts U17 All Stars will be up for grabs.

Just like previous seasons they will be joined by stars from other baseball teams from across the country. Jarrod Pretorius is one of three members of the 2012 National Champions, Harlow Nationals, who will be playing in the Hunlock Series. The manager of the Nationals, Marty Cullen, and infielder, Carlos Casal, have also been added to the Draft.

Tetsuro Shinkawa will be making his second Hunlock Series appearance after winning the Series with the Blue Dogs last year. He was the starting pitcher for the Guildford Mavericks in the AA playoff quarter-final against the Herts Hawks a few weeks ago and Andrew Fulford hit a decisive grand slam against him in that playoff game. Shinkawa promised that next time he faces Fulford he will strike him out. We may find out very soon who will win that battle as they are expected to face each other during the Series provided that they are not picked for the same team.

Mario Escobedo in a Liverpool Trojans jersey

This year the Liverpool Trojans will also be represented in the Hunlock Series. Mario Escobedo is well known to fans of Herts Baseball Club as he attended tryouts with the Falcons during the Herts Spring League in March. He is based in Manchester so arranging transport to Hemel Hempstead on a weekly basis proved to be a major obstacle and he joined the best team in the North, Liverpool Trojans, with whom he won the AAA National title just a few weeks ago.

Given the strength of White Lightning on the basis of their 3 co-managers, there will be a restriction on them and they will have to miss the first few rounds of the Draft to enable the other teams to grab some of the top players in this year’s Draft.

We will be publishing more details about Thursday’s Live Draft and the Hunlock Series schedule over the next 48 hours, with Opening Day this Sunday at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts announce new look Hunlock Series. Player registration has started

The 2012 champions in the British senior leagues have been determined, but the best part of the season for everyone connected with Herts Baseball Club is yet to come.

Every year, just when the MLB season enters its most exciting stage, players come to Grovehill Ballpark for a competition in memory of Herts Baseball Club’s number 36, the late Kyle Hunlock.

EXPANSION

This is the seventh year of the Hunlock Series. In its inaugural year in 2006 only two teams were involved, the Falcons and the Hawks. Herts Baseball Club has been growing rapidly since then and the number of teams in the Series increased to 3 in 2008 and went up to 4 in 2011. An announcement about the 2012 Hunlock Series team lineup is expected shortly. There are speculations that the number of teams will increase to 5 this year.

NEW FORMAT

This year’s competition has been expanded and will be played over 4 weekends starting with Opening Day on Sunday, 23 September. The Series will also feature “The Blitz Weekend” where games will be decided over one inning only. This has been introduced to recreate the tension and drama of the ninth inning. Can the teams manufacture the all important go-ahead run? Can they deliver the walk-off hits? Can the pitchers and defence execute with the game on the line?

Aspi Dimitrov, Hunlock Series Commissioner, said: “The Blitz Weekend” has been talked about for several years now, and it was decided to introduce it this year for the first time. The excitement and the pressure of the ninth inning comes once a day for MLB managers. Let’s see how the team managers and players will handle several ninth innings in one day.” He added: “There is a slight risk that adding games decided in one inning can devalue the other games in the Series, but we will have to wait and see how this format will play out and how the managers and players will approach it”.

THE DRAFT

Like every year, the 2012 Hunlock Series managers will draft the teams from all available current and former Herts players as well as free agents from around the UK and other parts of the world. The Live Draft will be broadcasted on the Hets Baseball TV Channel on Thursday evening, 20 September. Who will be the first round picks? How will minor league players perform alongside NBL players?

Over the years we have seen how decisions made during the draft can shape the outcome of the Series before a pitch has been thrown. The managers will have to make carefully calculated decisions if they are to put together a team which can compete for the Hunlock Series title, otherwise they face miserable few weeks.

With all of the club’s managers and coaching staff monitoring these games, players who have been pushing for promotion to a higher league team will have the perfect opportunity to make a claim on the big stage in the coming weeks of the Hunlock Series.

PLAYERS LOOKING TO REGISTER AHEAD OF THE DRAFT

Players are currently signing up ahead of next week’s draft. The Series is open to everyone, not just to current or former members of Herts Baseball Club. Players from other clubs can also take part. Players can register free.  There are no registration fees.

There has already been interest from non-Herts players located in other regions of the United Kingdom and overseas, from as far as Japan. Just like last year, the Hunlock Series could provide a glimpse at players who could be wearing the Herts jersey in 2013.

To be eligible for selection during the live draft players must register and enter their availability details online before 7pm on Tuesday, 18 September. After that deadline and throughout the duration of the Series newly registered players would still be eligible to take part but would be added to teams as free agents. Players who wish to register for the 2012 Hunlock Series should contact Herts Baseball Club. To be eligible to play adult league baseball, players must be 14 years of age or above on 31 December 2012.

 

by AspiDimitrov

Herts Blue Dogs’ comeback stuns Red Roosters

In the third and final week of the 2011 Hunlock Series, the Herts Blue Dogs faced an onslaught from the other three Hunlock Series teams. Each of them tried to knock the Dogs off the top of the standings, but they held on to win the Series.

WIDOWS AND LIGHTNING ELIMINATED

Nick Russell started on the mound for the Blue Dogs in the decider against the Red Roosters

All four teams were still in the running at the start of the final day.  The Black Widows knew that they needed to win all three of their games.  Their first opponents were the Red Roosters who took what seemed to be an insurmountable 6-2 lead into the final inning.  The Black Widows’ bats suddenly came alive and they recovered to tie the game 6-6. Starting pitchers Justin Henderson and Greg Bochan were still going strong on the mound as the game became a pitchers’ duel going into extra innings.  Ultimately, the Reds scored a key run in the top of the fifth and held on to that 1-run lead.  This meant that the Black Widows were out of the running. 

The Red Roosters were gathering momentum and won their second game of the day in a closely fought battle with Herts White Lightning, which meant that they were also out of the reckoning.

THE DECIDER
 
 
 

 

This set up a colossal encounter between the Red Roosters and the Blue Dogs, the winner of which would become the 2011 Series Winner. Both teams had reserved their ace pitchers, Nick Russell (Blue Dogs) and Nic Goetz (Red Roosters), for this deciding game.  Everything seemed to be going smoothly for the Reds.  They built up a comfortable 5-2 lead going into the final inning and with Goetz on the mound it seemed like the Blue Dogs were going to fall at the final hurdle.  One or two big hits in this last inning were not going to be enough for the Dogs. They needed to put runners on base and then a batter who can step up and drive them in under the enormous pressure that was building up.  They successfully did the first part of their task scoring two runs to make it 5-4 and loaded the base for co-manager, Andrew Slater.  He stepped up and delivered the knockout blow with a walk-off 2-run double, giving the Blue Dogs a first-ever Hunlock Series Championship.

Final Standings and Scoreboard of the 2011 Hunlock Series

NUMBER 10

Geoff Hare - in 2004 went a full league season without striking out as the regular leadoff man in the Herts Falcons lineup

A special mention goes to Herts Baseball legend, Geoff Hare.  He wore the Falcons number 10 jersey for over a decade, and before that played with the Hemel Red Sox.  Everybody connected with Herts Baseball Club knows Geoff.  A magnificent short stop and a leadoff batter, a player who can hit for power and for average, Geoff has always been the first name in any Herts manager’s line-up.  Over the last few years Geoff’s magnificent contribution to the club has continued in a coaching capacity and he has now become one of the best and most respected umpires in Great Britain.  He was out of the country in the first two weeks of the Series, but wanted to make sure that he can support his club in this event and after returning from abroad immediately made himself available to umpire 4 of the games in the final weekend. 

HERTS BASEBALL PREPARES FOR WINTER BREAK

Herts youngsters are starting to make impact in the adult leagues of Great Britain

The Hunlock Series has once again proved to be a fitting way to end the baseball season.  Over the three weeks of the competition current, former and potential new club members and their families have had the opportunity to play baseball and be together at the club’s home, Grovehill Ballpark, in the hottest October in history. The Series expanded from 3 to 4 teams this year and the addition of the Herts Under-17 All Star team players has given the adult team members an opportunity to see the results of the hard work by players and coaches in the Herts Little League.  Some of these youth team players are already representing Herts in the adult leagues and their number will be growing even faster in the coming years as the Herts’ youngsters mature into exceptional baseball players.

by AspiDimitrov

Going Down to the Wire in the October Heat

 

There is one week left of the Hunlock Series and the Herts Blue Dogs have a slender lead with the Red Roosters and White Lightning one game back on them.  Black Widows are two games back from the leaders but are still in the running thanks to a surprise win late this evening against the leaders.

White Lightning burst back into the championship-race after solid defensive performance. Against the Red Roosters starting pitcher Zack Longboy started the day for them with a shutout win against the Red Roosters. They suffered a hiccup against the Blue Dogs in the second game of the day losing 9-4, but quickly bounced back to beat the Back Widows 5-1 who struggled with the bats against Phil Clark on the mound for the Lightning.

Red Roosters’ early setback against White Lightning was quickly forgotten as they got back in the race with a win against the Widows.  Jon Lewys launched a decisive shot to right-centerfield off Black Widows’ pitcher, Liam Green.  The ball clipped the top of the outfield wall and went over for a two-run home run. 

That set up a titanic Red versus Blue clash played in temperatures of 29oC forcing both teams to snuggle up together on the third-base side to cool down in the shade.  The game ended with a walk-off 9-8 win for the Herts Blue Dogs.

The Blue Dogs had one more game to play with an opportunity to open up a two-game gap between them and the rest and virtually clinch the 2011 Hunlock Series.  They were shocked by a stubborn Black Widows team consisting of members of the Herts Under-17 and Under-14 All Star teams.  Justin Henderson pitched a gem and had the offensive support from the batting lineup, but arguably the most critical moment of the game came when, with two outs and runners on second and third, Tetsuro Shinkawa, came up to bat.  With the count 2-0 the Black Widows were about to call time for a mound visit as they were considering whether to walk him intentionally or to pitch around him carefully. On the next pitch Shinkawa drove the ball deep down the right-field foul line.  It looked like it would be a certain 2-RBI triple but out of nowhere, 14-year-old right-fielder Thom Adams somehow managed to make up a lot of ground and caught the ball in a spectacular play on the run to end the inning and any hopes of a Blue Dogs comeback.  Justin Henderson held his nerve in the final inning to secure the win which keeps the Black Widows in the running and sets up an exciting final round of games on Sunday, 9 October, at Grovehill Ballpark.  The First game commences at 11:30am with subsequent games starting on the two diamonds every hour.

KEYS TO THE HUNLOCK SERIES FINAL WEEKEND

Series Schedule and current Standings

 Blue Dogs – cannot afford to lose to Red Roosters.  A loss against White Lighting not as critical due to tie-break rules

Red Roosters – must win against Blue Dogs.  If they lose that game they are out of the race

White Lightning – cannot afford to lose to Red Roosters or Blue Dogs.

Black Widows – Still in the running but need a miracle. Must win all three remaining games and hope that other results go their way.

WEEK 2 PLAYER TRANSACTIONS:

  • Red Roosters – added Simon (Free Agent )
  • Red Roosters – added Phil (Free Agent)
  • Black Widows – added Harry Purvis (Free Agent)
  • Blue Dogs – added Tetsuro Shinkawa (Free Agent)

Note: Herts White Lightning has the next two picks.

by Rob Jones

What it’s all about

There are two reasons why I play baseball. One is that it is a great game, requiring hand-eye coordination, technique, strategy and a smidgen of athletic prowess. The second reason is the geographical accident that I play for Herts Baseball Club.

Blue Dogs team talk
A round of applause for everyone

When I first considered taking up the sport eight years ago, it turned out that Hemel Hempstead was the easiest diamond for me to get to. And what I found there was a club which was welcoming, relaxed and fun — and yet serious about doing its best on the field of play. Never did I feel anything but welcomed by the guys there, some of whom had already forgotten more than I would ever know about baseball.

And it is that spirit of friendship which reaches its apotheosis in the Kyle Hunlock Series, our post-season intra-club tournament which throws all the players into a melting pot and creates something new. The competition is bigger and possibly better than ever this year. Four sides, evenly matched, playing a round robin for the final title.

There is a dwindling band of Herts members who actually took the field alongside Kyle Hunlock, the former player who died in an industrial accident back home in the USA. I won’t pretend that I knew him well at all, but I did share a diamond with him when he wore the Falcons uniform, and I can vouch that his effervescence was of a type that can lift a team, a club and an event. I think he would have enjoyed the atmosphere at the first day of the 2011 Series which now bears his name.

The games were mostly pretty tight, with several one-run differentials. National Leaguers were alongside and against Little League players, and Raptors rookies.  It’s great fun to play. I can’t say I have ever actually performed that well in a Hunlock Series — too rusty, too cold, or some other excuses — but I have never really minded.  I’m not saying that I didn’t try hard — when I beat out an infield hit in our game against the Roosters I was running as fast  up the line as I could. But winning isn’t what this is about.

There were some great plays by other guys, though. There were fantastic outfield catches by Ilya Dimitrov, diving to his right, and by Ken Pike, sliding in to grab a shallow bloop. On the infield, Reagan Wood and Kyle Lloyd-Jones both showed their soft hands to snare ground balls which looked as if they were about to dart past them… in fact they were just watching like a hawk for their moment to scoop it up and make the play.

The morning after, I am aching. And I am already sad that baseball is over for another year, as I can’t make weeks 2 and 3 of the competition. But I am happy that I was there for a last hurrah to my season and for an event which always affirms the beauty of the game.

by AspiDimitrov

All to Play For. Hunlock Series Teams Closely Matched

White Lightning Co-Managers pondering over their options after heartbreaking loss versus the Blue Dogs

The Red Roosters and the Blue Dogs have a slender lead in the 2011 Hunlock Series after the first round of games. The Blue Dogs opened the series with a 3-2 win against the Herts White Lightning, who announced a last-minute signing of free agent, Troy Linton, who is the starting short-stop for the Herts Falcons in the NBL.  In their second game the Blue Dogs survived a last inning rally by the Black Widows to win 5-4 and maintain their unbeaten record.

The Herts Red Roosters are the defending Hunlock Series champions and they got off to a great start with a 11-2 defeat of White Lightning. Nic Goetz picked up the win for the Roosters in that game.

This set up a clash between the Blue Dogs and the Red Roosters with both teams going into the game unbeaten.  It turned out to be a classic match-up.  Nick Russell on the mound for the Blue Dogs took a 2-0 lead into the final inning but the Roosters staged a spirited comeback late in the game to win it 3-2.

White Lightning ended their day on a positive note with a 6-4 win over the Black Widows.

Ilya Dimitrov - First baseman, base-stealer, artist

In the final game of the day the Roosters were looking to stay in first place in the standings by completing a 3-game sweep.  They had a 4-1 lead against the Black Widows who had battled hard in their first two games but had nothing to show for their effort.  The Black Widows are made up of members of the Herts Under-17 and Under-14 teams and most of their pitching staff was on a rest day after playing in the Herts Futures Tournament 24 hours earlier.  Thankfully the team had drafted Alex Ganster and PJ Henderson who provided much needed pitching depth to keep them in the game and produce an impressive rally in the bottom of the final inning to win 5-4 against the unbeaten Red Roosters.

This leaves all four teams tightly packed in the standings after the first weekend of the Series.  Next games are scheduled for Sunday, 2 October 2011, and with a heat wave about to come to the British Isles it is set to be another glorious weekend of baseball at Grovehill Ballpark.

PLAYER TRANSACTIONS

White Lightning

  • Added Troy Linton (Free Agent)

Blue Dogs

  • Added Oz Jr. (Free Agent)

Black Widows

  • Added PJ Henderson (Free Agent)

Red Roosters have the next pick.

What it’s all about – read Rob Jones report from the first day of the Hunlock Series.

2011 Hunlock Series – Scoreboard, Standings and more

by AspiDimitrov

Herts Announce Hunlock Series Expansion During Live TV Broadcast

The 2011 champions in the British senior and youth leagues have been determined, but the question on the minds of everyone connected with Herts Baseball is – Who will win the 2011 Hunlock Series?

Every year just when the MLB season enters its most exciting stage, current, former and potential future members of Herts Baseball Club come to Grovehill Ballpark for a 3-week competition in memory of Herts Baseball Club’s number 36, the late Kyle Hunlock.

In previous years, the Series involved three teams, the Herts Red Roosters, Herts Blue Dogs and the Herts Black Widows.  Following the club’s growth especially among youth members, this year a fourth team has been added to the Series.  The name of the team is the Herts White Lightning.

MANAGERS BATTLE FOR EVERY INCH LIVE ON TV

The 3 weeks of Hunlock Series action was kicked off on Monday night with a 2-hour live show on the Herts Baseball TV Channel.  During the show the club announced the managers of the four teams which will be competing.  The Red Roosters will be managed by Andy Cornish and Greg Bochan who continue their partnership having managed the Herts Hawks this season in the British AA-League.  The Blue Dogs will have three co-managers hoping to lead them to victory. They are John Kjorstad, Andrew Slater and Kal Dimitrov.  The Black Widows will be managed by Aspi Dimitrov.  The expansion team, White Lightning, will be managed by father and son partnership of Arnold and Zack Longboy.

The managers of the four teams did their best to gain a competitive advantage during this draft before a single pitch has been thrown, but ultimately it will all be decided on the field of play.  The first games will be played this Sunday, 25 September 2011, from 11am at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead.  The second round of games will take place on 2 October and the third and final round on 9 October.

FREE AGENTS WELCOME

The players have been drafted but as usual there will be a large number of free agents becoming available over the 3 weeks of the Hunlock Series.  Anyone interested to be added to one of the four teams should contact Herts Baseball Club.  The Series is open to any players over the age of 13 regardless of whether they are experienced professionals or beginners who have never played baseball before.  Players from other clubs are also welcome and several have already been drafted.

Herts Red Roosters
1 William Belbin (UTILITY/)
2 Greg Bochan (P/SS)
3 Andy Cornish (1B/CF)
4 Rob Crouch (UTILITY/)
5 Glen Downer (UTILITY/)
6 Jon Gamble (UTILITY/)
7 Nicolas Goetz (3B/P)
8 Matt Johnston (LF/CF)
9 Jonathon Lewys (LF/RF)
10 Rod Naghar (RF/3B)
11 Kimiyoshi Saionji (2B/LF)
12 Adrian Smithers (UTILITY/)
13 Charlie Williams (UTILITY/)
14 Jeff Witter (1B/2B)
15 Reagan Wood (UTILITY/)
 
Herts Black Widows
1 Tom Adams (UTILITY/)
2 Charlie Boneham (UTILITY/)
3 Jake Caress (UTILITY/)
4 Cameron Choudhuri (UTILITY/)
5 Jonny Compton-weight (UTILITY/)
6 Aspi Dimitrov (LF/3B)
7 Richard Ganster (UTILITY/)
8 Lewis Green (UTILITY/)
9 Liam Green (2B/C)
10 Justin Henderson (UTILITY/)
11 Tristan Le coz (UTILITY/)
12 Kyle Lloyd-jones (UTILITY/)
13 Kieran Manning (UTILITY/)
14 Charlie Mayhew (UTILITY/)
15 Jose Morillo jr (UTILITY/)
 
Herts Blue Dogs
1 Paul Curtis (2B/RF)
2 Chris Deacon (UTILITY/)
3 Kal Dimitrov (C/3B)
4 Philip Dwamena (UTILITY/)
5 Tim Elkins (UTILITY/)
6 Daniel Gould (3B/LF)
7 Duncan Hoyle (UTILITY/)
8 Rob Jones (UTILITY/)
9 Oz Kemal (UTILITY/)
10 John Kjorstad (LF/RF)
11 Jamie Munn (CF/LF)
12 Kennet Pike (RF/LF)
13 Nick Russell (P/SS)
14 Theo Scheepers (SS/)
15 Perrie Sherman (C/3B)
16 Andrew Slater (3B/1B)
 
Herts White Lightning
1 Jim Arnott (RF/P)
2 Paul Auchterlounie (C/CF)
3 Ralph Bartholomew (SS/2B)
4 Phil Clark (UTILITY/)
5 Ilya Dimitrov (CF/1B)
6 Ali Hall (LF/RF)
7 Arnold Longboy (UTILITY/)
8 Zachary Longboy (UTILITY/)
9 Lee Manning (C/)
10 Jose a Morillo (UTILITY/)
11 Steve Nippress (UTILITY/)
12 Amit Odedra (UTILITY/)
13 Charlie Pearson (UTILITY/)
14 Mahendra Prasad (CF/)
15 Jamie Slater (UTILITY/)
by AspiDimitrov

HERTS RED ROOSTERS WIN THE 2010 HUNLOCK SERIES

 

The Herts Red Roosters celebrate winning the 2010 Hunlock Series

 

 

The winners of the 2010 Hunlock Series were the Herts Red Roosters.  Before the start of the day they were in pole position having booked their place in the final by finishing first in the group stage.

 

They faced the Herts Blue Dogs after they caused another shock by beating the Herts Black Widows in a closely fought semi-final playoff. 

 

All 3 teams were missing many of their originally drafted players, but that didn’t take away from the enjoyment of this celebration of the Herts Baseball family.  In the absence of co-managers Carlos Casal and Marc Martinez, Jamie Munn was deputizing as the Blue Dogs Manager.  He brought his own very effective management style and his team definitely enjoyed it.

 

His trademark mound visits were more akin to political party conferences than the usual one-on-one meetings which we have become accustomed to when watching MLB games.  On two occasions Munn’s mound visits brought immediate results delivering inning-ending double plays.  This proved to be crucial for the Blue Dogs as they went on to win 7-5 knocking the Black Widows out.

 

 

One of the special mound visits of Blue Dogs Manager, Jamie Munn, which sometimes involved all 9 fielders as well as some bench players.  The multi-dimensional strategic approach was certainly effective and brought success time after time for Munn’s men.

 

With a depleted bullpen it was always going to be a difficult task for the Blue Dogs to pull off another surprise in the Final.  The Herts Red Roosters arrived fresh for the game and this was noticeable from the start.

 

 

Pitcher Mike Kalmowicz throwing his newly invented pitch – the “changing changup”.

 

The Blue Dogs pitching staff tried everything to silence the Red Roosters bats.  Reliever Mike Kalmowicz even unveiled two new pitches in his repertoire in an effort to turn the game around. The two new pitches were the “changing changup” and as yet unnamed mystery pitch, but even this was not enough. The game ended with a convincing 22-11 win for the Herts Red Roosters.

 

BOX SCORES – PLAYOFF SEMI-FINAL

Herts Blue Dogs at Herts Black Widows
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Herts Blue Dogs 2 0 2 1 2 7 7 4
Herts Black Widows 1 1 1 1 1 5 5 5

Herts Blue Dogs 7, Herts Black Widows 5
Herts Blue Dogs Herts Black Widows
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
ELKINS Tim 1b 3 2 2 0 CURTIS Paul 3b-rf 2 0 0 0
MUNN Jamie cf 2 2 1 0 GREEN Tom rf-cf-ss-3b 3 0 0 0
DRUMMOND Bryan 3b 2 1 0 1 DIMITROV Ilya c 2 2 2 1
DIMITROV Aspi p 1 0 1 1 HOFFMANN Mark p-1b 2 0 1 2
(t4) DIMITROV Kal c 1 0 0 0 NAGHAR Rod cf-3b-ss 2 2 1 0
SHERMAN Perrie c-p 2 1 0 0 PEARCE Ben lf-2b 2 0 0 0
BARTHOLOMEW Ralph ss 2 1 1 0 DEACON Chris ss-cf 2 0 0 0
WILLIAMS Charlie rf 3 0 1 2 LLOYD-JONES Kyle 2b-lf 2 0 1 1
CURTIS Jack lf 3 0 0 0 KALMOWICZ Mike p-1b 2 1 0 0
HUMPHREY Alex 2b 3 0 1 0          
TEAM TOTALS 22 7 7 4 TEAM TOTALS 19 5 5 4
E: DRUMMOND Bryan(3), ELKINS Tim, KALMOWICZ Mike(2), DIMITROV Ilya, HOFFMANN Mark,
LLOYD-JONES Kyle. LOB: Herts Black Widows 4, Herts Blue Dogs 6. SB: ELKINS Tim(3),
MUNN Jamie(2), NAGHAR Rod(4), DIMITROV Ilya(3), KALMOWICZ Mike(2), PEARCE Ben. CS:
DIMITROV Ilya.
Herts Blue Dogs IP H R ER BB SO
DIMITROV Aspi W 3.00 3 3 1 2 4
SHERMAN Perrie 2.00 2 2 0 2 3
Herts Black Widows            
HOFFMANN Mark L 3.00 4 4 3 2 1
KALMOWICZ Mike 2.00 3 3 1 3 3
HBP: by DIMITROV Aspi (HOFFMANN Mark). . , by KALMOWICZ Mike (SHERMAN Perrie). WP:
HOFFMANN Mark(2), KALMOWICZ Mike. PB: DIMITROV Kal, DIMITROV Ilya. Balk: HOFFMANN
Mark. T: 2:15. A: 45.

BOX SCORES – FINAL

Herts Blue Dogs at Herts Red Roosters
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Herts Blue Dogs 6 1 0 3 1 11 9 3
Herts Red Roosters 2 2 6 7 5 22 11 1

Herts Red Roosters 22, Herts Blue Dogs 11
Herts Red Roosters Herts Blue Dogs
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
PIKE Ken p-1b-ss 5 2 2 1 ELKINS Tim 1b 2 2 1 1
GOULD Bobby 3b 3 4 3 3 BARTHOLOMEW Ralph 2b 1 1 0 0
RUSSELL Nick 1b-p 2 3 1 2 (b3) CURTIS Paul rf-2b 2 1 2 0
DIMITROV Aspi ss 1 0 0 0 (b5) DIMITROV Ilya 2b 0 0 0 0
(b3) PRASAD Mahendra pr-ss-cf 1 3 1 3 DEACON Chris ss-lf 4 0 0 0
DIMITROV Kal c 5 2 1 2 NAGHAR Rod 3b 2 3 1 0
CROOKS Phil cf-2b 3 1 0 1 SHERMAN Perrie p-c 1 2 1 2
ARNOTT Jim lf-1b 4 3 2 0 KALMOWICZ Mike c-p-ss 0 0 0 2
DRUMMOND Bryan 2b-cf-lf 4 0 0 0 HOFFMANN Mark lf-p-ss 3 1 2 3
GAMBLE Jon rf 1 4 1 2 WILLIAMS Charlie rf 3 1 1 0
          CURTIS Jack cf 3 0 1 1
TEAM TOTALS 29 22 11 14 TEAM TOTALS 21 11 9 9
E: DRUMMOND Bryan, ELKINS Tim(2), DEACON Chris. LOB: Herts Red Roosters 4, Herts Blue
Dogs 5. 2B: GOULD Bobby, ARNOTT Jim, PIKE Ken, SHERMAN Perrie. SB: GOULD Bobby(4),
RUSSELL Nick(4), PRASAD Mahendra(3), DIMITROV Kal(2), ARNOTT Jim, GAMBLE Jon, ELKINS
Tim(3), NAGHAR Rod(2), HOFFMANN Mark(2), CURTIS Paul(2), SHERMAN Perrie, KALMOWICZ
Mike. CS: SHERMAN Perrie.
Herts Red Roosters IP H R ER BB SO
RUSSELL Nick W 3.00 4 4 3 3 3
PIKE Ken 2.00 5 7 5 7 2
Herts Blue Dogs            
KALMOWICZ Mike L 2.33 5 9 7 5 1
HOFFMANN Mark 1.67 4 11 8 4 4
SHERMAN Perrie 1.00 2 2 1 0 0
HBP: by KALMOWICZ Mike (DIMITROV Aspi). , by HOFFMANN Mark (CROOKS Phil). , by
KALMOWICZ Mike (GOULD Bobby). WP: HOFFMANN Mark. PB: DIMITROV Kal(2), SHERMAN Perrie,
KALMOWICZ Mike. T: 2:20. A: 45.
by AspiDimitrov

REDS ARE IN THE HUNLOCK SERIES FINAL. BLUE DOGS AND BLACK WIDOWS WILL HAVE TO GO THROUGH PLAYOFF

The Herts Red Roosters booked their place in the 2010 Hunlock Series Final after a win against the Herts Black Widows in the final game of the group stage of the Series. 

Earlier in the day the Herts Blue Dogs, a team made up predominantly of Herts Little League players and their fathers, stunned the Roosters with a 12-8 win. Jesse Reinebold picked up the win.

The Blue Dogs were very close to causing another upset.  They were in the lead for most of their second game but came just short, losing 7-6 to the Black Widows at the end.  Marty Cullen and Greg Bochan were the big hitters for the Black Widows while Mike Kalmowicz pitched one and two-third innings for the win.  He did not allow any hits and struck out three.

This meant that the winner of the final game between the Black Widows and the Red Roosters was going to secure their place in the 2010 Hunlock Series Final while the loser would have to go through a very difficult playoff against the Blue Dogs which also carries the disadvantage of using up precious pitching options and going into the Final with a tired bullpen.

At the end it was the Red Roosters that came out on top in the final and deciding group game. Hits from Will Belbin (2-2), Mahendra Prasad (1-1, RBI ) and Phil Crooks (1-3, 2B RBI) helped the Red Roosters on to a 9-5 win.

The schedule for this Sunday, 17 October, of the Kyle Hunlock Series is as follows:

11:00 (Playoff) Herts Blue Dogs @ Herts Black Widows

14:00 (Final) Playoff Winner @ Herts Red Roosters

BOX SCORES

Herts Blue Dogs at Herts Red Roosters
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 R H E
Herts Blue Dogs 3 5 4 0 12 8 2
Herts Red Roosters 0 1 5 2 8 2 9

Herts Blue Dogs 12, Herts Red Roosters 8
Herts Blue Dogs Herts Red Roosters
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
MUNN Jamie cf 3 3 0 0 GOULD Bobby 3b 3 1 1 0
(b4) V Sub 6 pr-cf 0 0 0 0 JOHNSTON Matt 1b 2 1 1 1
GREEN Liam ss-p 4 1 2 1 (b4) PRASAD Mahendra 1b 0 1 0 0
CORNISH Andy 1b 3 3 2 3 RUSSELL Nick p-cf 3 0 0 2
GANSTER Alex 3b 2 2 1 0 DIMITROV Aspi ss 0 2 0 0
LONGBOY Arnold c 3 1 1 2 CROOKS Phil 2b 1 1 0 0
(b3) V Sub 4 pr-c 0 0 0 0 (b4) MANNING Lee 2b 0 0 0 0
REINEBOLD Jonathan lf 3 0 2 2 DRUMMOND Bryan cf-p 2 0 0 0
(b3) V Sub 1 lf 0 0 0 0 BELBIN Will rf 1 0 0 1
CHARGE Michael rf 3 0 0 0 (t4) AUCHTERLOUNIE Paul lf 0 0 0 0
(b3) V Sub 2 rf 0 0 0 0 LLOYD-JONES Kyle lf-rf 2 0 0 0
ELKINS Tim 2b 2 2 0 0 DIMITROV Kal c 1 2 0 0
(b3) V Sub 3 2b 0 0 0 0          
REINEBOLD Jesse p 2 0 0 0          
(b3) V Sub 5 ss-p 0 0 0 0          
TEAM TOTALS 25 12 8 8 TEAM TOTALS 15 8 2 4

E: REINEBOLD Jesse, V Sub 1, GOULD Bobby(3), CROOKS Phil(2), DIMITROV Aspi(2),
JOHNSTON Matt, BELBIN Will. LOB: Herts Red Roosters 4, Herts Blue Dogs 6. SB: CORNISH
Andy(3), MUNN Jamie(3), LONGBOY Arnold(2), GANSTER Alex, REINEBOLD Jonathan, ELKINS
Tim, V Sub 3, V Sub 6, DIMITROV Aspi(4), CROOKS Phil, GOULD Bobby, JOHNSTON Matt,
DRUMMOND Bryan, DIMITROV Kal, MANNING Lee.

Herts Blue Dogs IP H R ER BB SO
REINEBOLD Jesse W 2.33 2 4 1 2 3
GREEN Liam 1.33 0 4 2 7 2
V Sub 5 0.33 0 0 0 0 1
Herts Red Roosters            
RUSSELL Nick L 3.00 7 12 2 2 3
DRUMMOND Bryan 1.00 1 0 0 2 0

HBP: by RUSSELL Nick (CORNISH Andy). . . WP: GREEN Liam(3). PB: V Sub 4(3), DIMITROV
Kal. T: 1:45. A: 50.
Herts Black Widows at Herts Blue Dogs
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
Herts Black Widows 1 0 2 2 2 0 7 6 4
Herts Blue Dogs 1 0 4 1 0 0 6 6 3

Herts Black Widows 7, Herts Blue Dogs 6
Herts Black Widows Herts Blue Dogs
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
DIMITROV Ilya cf 4 1 1 1 H Player 1 cf-p 3 2 1 0
NAGHAR Rod 2b 3 1 0 1 H Player 2 p-ss 1 1 0 0
BOCHAN Greg p-ss 3 1 2 1 (t4) H Sub 2 ss 1 1 0 0
CULLEN Marty c 3 1 2 2 H Player 3 1b-p 3 0 0 1
KALMOWICZ Mike ss-p 1 1 0 0 (t5) H Sub 4 cf 0 0 0 0
HOFFMANN Mark 1b 3 0 1 1 H Player 4 3b 2 1 2 1
DEACON Chris 3b 2 1 0 0 (t5) H Sub 1 2b 1 0 0 0
GREEN Tom rf 1 0 0 0 H Player 5 ss 1 0 1 0
(t4) LLOYD-JONES Kyle rf 0 1 0 0 (t3) H Sub 8 1b 2 1 1 2
SLATER Andrew lf 3 0 0 0 H Player 6 c 2 0 1 0
          (t4) H Sub 6 c 1 0 0 0
          H Player 7 rf 2 0 0 1
          (t4) H Sub 5 rf 0 0 0 0
          H Player 8 2b 2 0 0 0
          (t4) H Sub 3 2b-3b 0 0 0 0
          H Player 9 lf 1 0 0 0
          (t4) H Sub 7 lf 1 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 23 7 6 6 TEAM TOTALS 23 6 6 5

E: DEACON Chris(2), NAGHAR Rod, BOCHAN Greg, H Player 4, H Player 8, H Sub 5. LOB:
Herts Blue Dogs 4, Herts Black Widows 8. 2B: DIMITROV Ilya. SB: BOCHAN Greg(2),
CULLEN Marty, KALMOWICZ Mike, GREEN Tom, H Player 6, H Sub 2. SF: NAGHAR Rod.

Herts Black Widows IP H R ER BB SO
BOCHAN Greg 3.00 6 5 4 1 1
KALMOWICZ Mike W 1.67 0 1 0 0 3
Herts Blue Dogs            
H Player 2 2.67 2 3 2 3 4
H Player 3 1.33 3 2 2 0 1
H Player 1 1.00 1 2 2 1 0

HBP: by H Player 2 (KALMOWICZ Mike). . . . , by H Player 3 (LLOYD-JONES Kyle). . WP:
BOCHAN Greg(2), H Player 2(2), H Player 3(2), H Player 1. T: 1:55. A: 59.
Herts Red Roosters at Herts Black Widows
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 R H E
Herts Red Roosters 1 3 5 0 9 6 0
Herts Black Widows 2 0 2 1 5 4 3

Herts Red Roosters 9, Herts Black Widows 5
Herts Red Roosters Herts Black Widows
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
PRASAD Mahendra cf 1 2 1 1 DIMITROV Ilya ss-c 3 0 0 0
ARNOTT Jim 3b 2 0 0 0 NAGHAR Rod 2b 1 2 0 0
JOHNSTON Matt lf 1 0 0 1 KALMOWICZ Mike p-ss 1 2 1 0
(t2) DRUMMOND Bryan lf 2 0 0 0 CULLEN Marty c-p 2 0 2 3
(t4) GAMBLE Jon p-lf 1 0 0 0 HOFFMANN Mark 1b 2 0 1 1
MANNING Lee ss-p 2 1 1 0 DEACON Chris 3b 2 0 0 0
AUCHTERLOUNIE Paul c 2 0 0 0 GREEN Tom lf 2 0 0 0
DIMITROV Aspi ss-p 2 1 1 0 LLOYD-JONES Kyle cf 2 0 0 0
BELBIN Will rf 2 2 2 0 PEARCE Ben rf 1 1 0 0
RUSSELL Nick 1b 2 0 0 0          
(t3) GOULD Bobby 1b-rf 0 0 0 0          
CROOKS Phil 2b 3 3 1 1          
TEAM TOTALS 20 9 6 3 TEAM TOTALS 16 5 4 4

E: KALMOWICZ Mike(2), NAGHAR Rod. LOB: Herts Red Roosters 2, Herts Black Widows 3.
2B: CROOKS Phil. SB: PRASAD Mahendra(4), ARNOTT Jim(2), MANNING Lee(2), BELBIN
Will(2), DIMITROV Aspi, CROOKS Phil, NAGHAR Rod(2), KALMOWICZ Mike.

Herts Red Roosters IP H R ER BB SO
DIMITROV Aspi W 3.00 4 4 4 3 3
MANNING Lee 1.00 0 1 1 1 0
Herts Black Widows            
KALMOWICZ Mike L 2.00 2 4 2 3 2
CULLEN Marty 2.00 4 5 1 0 3

T: 1:55. A: 56.
by AspiDimitrov

HERTS LAUNCH FIRST EVER TV CHANNEL IN BRITISH BASEBALL

This Thursday Herts Baseball Club will break yet another barrier.  They will make British baseball history as the first baseball organisation in the UK to unveil its own TV channel.  The Herts Baseball Channel will be launched at 8pm on Thursday, 23 September, with live coverage of the 2010 Hunlock Series Draft.

 

Exactly two years ago the club made history as the first British baseball club to broadcast live radio with coverage of the 2008 Hunlock Series Draft and this year the club has gone a step further.

 

Club President, Aspi Dimitrov, said: ‘Having the capability to broadcast our own TV channel 24 hours a day opens up endless opportunities for us to promote our club and continue our growth. We now have the ability to televise live or on-demand talk shows, fan phone-ins, player interviews, game highlights, pre-game build up and post-game analysis, and this will have a very positive effect on all Herts Baseball operations.’ He added: ‘We can even stream live games from our own ballpark and this can be done by adopting the same methods used by ESPN and FOX when they show live MLB games.  For example, we can televise a Herts Falcons game live with 10 or more different cameras located in different parts of the ballpark and the various video feeds can be mixed to deliver coverage of the highest quality. CBS, Fox News and C-SPAN are just some of the organisations which are utilising the technology provided by LiveStream, so we are very grateful to the people at LiveStream who a few hours ago confirmed that they have agreed to provide Herts the capability to stream to 100,000+ concurrent viewers 24-hours-a-day with HD quality (subject to source footage being in HD).’

 

THE FIRST LIVE PROGRAMME

Herts Baseball Club have indicated that it will take several months for the channel to get up to speed and to start to utilise the full range of LiveStream features, but this week’s live coverage of the 2010 Hunlock Series Draft is the best possible way to launch it. 

 

The Hunlock Series is now in its fifth year and is arguably the most eagerly awaited event on the Herts Baseball calendar.  It is the only time of the year when all of the adult players from Herts Baseball Club’s major and minor league teams come to play together at the same venue.  Over the years the event has provided so much drama and excitement and the unveiling of the Herts Baseball Channel will enhance the Hunlock Series even more.  During the Live Draft the club will announce the 2010 Hunlock Series Managers and then the wheeling and dealing will begin with each manager aiming to gain an edge over their opponents even before a pitch has been thrown.

 

TUNE IN FOR THE DRAFT

The Herts Baseball Channel can be viewed by going to www.livestream.com/hertsbaseball  Live coverage will begin at 8pm on Thursday, 23 September 2010.  It is expected to end at around 11pm. For those who cannot watch the programme live, they can tune in 24 hours later (8pm on Friday) when it will be shown again in full.

 

VIEWER INTERACTION

Viewers will be able to communicate with each other in the ChatZone which is located on the right side of the TV screen. They can do this using the LiveStream ChatTool or via their Facebook  or Twitter accounts.  Viewers can post their questions to the managers and other studio guests in the ChatZone and some of these questions will be put to them.