Category: Featured

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Brother House joins the Falcons ahead of clash with Pirates

photo by British Baseball Magazine more available on their website. Click image to view

The Herts Falcons continue to strengthen their NBL roster with the addition of right-handed pitcher Jeff House.

Jeff House is the brother of Dave House who joined the Falcons in March. Most of Jeff House’s baseball experience has been attained in baseball leagues in America. He has played one season in British baseball making 16 plate appearances for the Flames in 2011. His NBL career batting average stands at .273.

He is expected to make his Herts Falcons debut as the probable starter in game one of this Sunday’s double-header against the Croydon Pirates at Grovehill Ballpark. First pitch 12:00.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Setback for Raptors as they lose to Hove

Hove Tuesday are playing in the British baseball league for the first time this year but teams who consider them as rookies would be making a big mistake. Apart from a very shaky first inning they shut down the Herts Raptors offence very effectively allowing only 2 runs and 2 hits in the subsequent 6 innings to claim a deserved 21-10 win.

The game started with 6 Raptors and 6 Tuesday batters reaching base on balls or on a hit-by-pitch, and that was just in the first inning. Herts starter Ken Pike reached a heavy pitch count and was relieved after two-thirds of that opening inning as 7 batters came in to score. Zack Longboy came in and stabilised the situation for the home team. The Raptors bounced back in the bottom of that inning with 8 runs of their own. They were back in the game, but Hove regained their composure and produced an impressive defensive display. Amit Odedra (1-3 RBI) and Gilberto Medina (1-3 2B) tried to get a Herts rally going with hits in the later innings but that just wasn’t enough to keep up with the visitors who were adding runs to their tally inning-after-inning.

A hidden-ball tag out by the Raptors at third base cleared the benches as both teams spilled out onto the field, but there were no physical scuffles, just a few verbal exchanges. Both sides quickly calmed down and focused on baseball again.

Click to view box scores and play-by-play

The Raptors are looking to improve on the team’s record over the last two seasons and see if they can get in the race for the postseason. Raptors Manager, Arnie Longboy, will be looking for ways to get the team back on track. “We had a hard fought battle, but the rain from the last several weeks not only muddied our playing fields but also seems to have softened our hard hitting bats” said Longboy. “Nevetheless hats off the Hove pitchers who had a rocky start but immediately settled in after the first inning. Some of the bright spots continue to be the contribution of our younger players both at the plate as well as pitching. Brodie Caress managed a scoreless inning against Hove whilst Zack Longboy got one of the 4 hits on the Raptors side. But we’re all working hard to get our timing back and look to a more positive result for our next game against the Marauders.”

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Falcons no longer top of the NBL after extra innings loss at the D-Backs

Kimiyoshi Saionji was one of many Falcons players whose bats were on fire for the trip to Lakenheath (photo by British Baseball Magazine more available on their website. Click image to view.)

The Herts Falcons picked up a very good win in game 1 of the series versus the Lakenheath Diamondbacks, but lost a tense second game in extra innings.

Robbie Unsell was one the Falcons’ big signings in the winter and he made his debut in these series. He played at short stop and was placed at the top of the Falcons batting lineup going 1-for-4 with a RBI double and 2 runs.

This was probably the Falcons’ best offensive performance of the season so far against a Lakenhetah team which is always one of the most difficult teams to play against. Kevin Niedringhaus (3-4 2B 5RBI), Cris Hiche (2-2 RBI) , Jake Michels (2-4 2RBI), Dave Tretheway (2-4 RBI) all had multiple hits. On the mound Jordan Farkas was not shaken by a Max Scholten home run on the first pitch of the first inning. The Herts starter went on to pick up his third win of 2012 with another solid performance. He was supported by a very good performance from the defence behind him which committed only 1 error.

Click to view game 1 box scores and play-by-play

In the second game the Falcons had to battle against a DBacks team eager to bounce back as well as a very small strike zone resulting in a number of walks. Herts allowed 7 runs in the first inning and although they did tie the game up to take it into extra innings it always felt like they were on the back foot. The bottom of the 7th almost ended in fireworks as Lakenheath was in position to win the game when Leo Perez hit a rocket over the left field wall that would have been the game winning homerun only to be reversed by the home plate umpire. The Dbacks eventually won it 14-13 despite a brave effort by the visitors from Hertfordshire who managed to retire Lakenheath twice in extra innings despite allowing two runners on base with no outs. Ryan Riniker picked up the win for Lakenheath and Chase Richey got the save. Mike Osborn was saddled with the loss for Herts.

POST-GAME REACTION

After the games we managed to get the views of both managers, Lee Manning (Herts) and Ken Reber (Lakenheath) who made his return to the team after missing most of spring training, marking it with a 2-run home run in game 1.

Ken Reber: “”Herts simply came out more prepared than us as it felt like we didn’t have our heads in the game for most of the game. Credit Herts starting pitcher for keeping us off the bases”. For game two Reber felt that “”this was a game that probably lasted longer than it should have but we were just glad to have survive with the win.”

Lee Manning: “Lakenheath won game 2 because they adjusted to the umpire before we did. Game 2 was more about keeping the bat on the shoulder and letting the umpire walk the hitters. Lakenheath scored 7 runs in the first inning and we were always playing catch up.” Manning added: “I’m proud of the way the team kept on fighting to take the game into extra innings but our fitness played a big part late in the game. No baseball in the last 28 days did take its toll in the end.”

FALCONS MAKE THEIR RETURN HOME AFTER 6 WEEKS ON THE ROAD

The split at Lakenheath meant that Herts have lost top spot in the NBL after the Nationals and Southampton swept their opponents. They will be hoping to regain top spot next Sunday when they welcome the Croydon Pirates to Grovehill Ballpark. This is the first home game for the Falcons since their Opening Day win against the Bracknell Blazers. Game 1 starts at 12pm.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Eagles unveil promising new signings in loss versus Old Timers

Oz Kemal was back for the Eagles

Herts Eagles 7 Old Timers 17.

written by hertsbaseball.com correspondent Duncan Hoyle

 

Herts Eagles battled well against a typically well organised and disciplined Old Timers team but eventually succumbed 7 – 17. However the Eagles will be able to console themselves with the many positive individual performances from the game.

On the warmest baseball playing day of the season so far, Herts starting pitcher Reagan Wood got off to a great start with 3 first inning strikeouts to keep the Old Timers down to 2 runs scored in the first innings. However the Herts batting unit just couldn’t get going, struggling to come to terms with the Old Timers lefty pitchers curve balls.

Wood was forced to leave the pitchers mound in the second inning with a slight shoulder strain and it was Geoff Thomas who had the difficult job of having to pitch out the rest of the inning. By the time the inning had finished the Old Timers had increased the lead to 8 – 0.

Debutant Craig Le Roux made his Herts debut in the 3rd inning on the pitchers mound, replacing Thomas who had pulled his hamstring during his pitching efforts, and Le Roux pitched superbly from the start. He was working well with Adrian Smithers, who was playing for the first time as catcher to rein in the Old Timers offense. After battling with some initial nerves, Smithers had an excellent game in his 5 innings as catcher, letting few balls get past him and he will gain a lot of confidence from his performance.

The Eagles made some good defensive plays including a good tag out at home plate by Smithers, a great relay play from deep left field which included Senna Ashida, Theo Scheepers and Oz Kemal, and a great 2-out play instigated by 13 year old 3rd baseman Callum Vangundy. Vangundy is a GB U15 international who was making his debut for the Eagles, and the natural quality he brings to the Eagles will be a big boost for the rest of the season.

Le Roux was able to keep the Eagles in the game, only going for a run or 2 each inning. Finally in the 6th inning the Eagles were able to get some much needed production going in the batting department, with another debutant, Rupert Greyling getting the offensive show on the road by nearly hitting a home run. He had to settle for a double, but was brought home to score the Eagles first run. Substitute catcher Oz Kemal got into the action with a superb hit to bat in 2 runs and by the end of the innings the Eagles had scored 5 to give themselves a chance of avoiding the mercy rule.

In the middle of the 7th inning the score was 17 – 5 to the Old Timers meaning the Eagles had to score 3 to take the game into an 8th inning. 15-year-old Will Zucker was another Eagles debutant who has previously played in Japan, and he got a good hit which he followed up with some great baserunning to get round to score. He looks like he will be an another excellent addition to the Eagles roster. Sadly for the Eagles only 1 more run was scored which meant that the mercy rule came into play at the end of the 7th inning.

The Eagles were bitterly disappointed in not been able to go all the 9 innings, but can take great pride in the spirited way in which heads didn’t drop and the fact that there are fixtures to be played in the next two Sundays, starting next week with an away day outing to Billericay in a clash with the Essex RedBacks.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts Hawks are back in the playoff race

Jon Lewys went 1-3 and drove in two runs in the second game against the Mariners

The Hawks suffered a nightmare month of April. On top of the wettest April on record, most of their roster was unavailable for the games versus the Croydon Pirates and the Poole Piranhas, which they lost and many feared that this slip has knocked them out of the playoff race after just 3 weeks into the season.

Earlier in the week a BBF announcement confirmed that the Hawks would need to finish among the top 4 teams in their AA League group to qualify for the postseason. That seemed to give the Hawks the boost they needed. They bounced back sweeping the series against the Kent Mariners. In game one Nic Goetz repeated his Opening day heroics on the mound. This time he pitched a complete game shutout. He allowed only 4 hits. He had a solid defence behind him which committed only one error as well as potent batting lineup which scored 11 runs. Louis Hare and Tim Elkins contributed with 2 hits each with 3 and 2 RBI respectively.

Click to view Game 1 Box Scores and play-by-play

Nick Russell started game 2 and he too pitched a complete game allowing only 4 hits. Kent did score 2 runs in the final inning but by then the Hawks had taken an unassailable 15-0 lead. Louis Hare (2-4 3RBI 2B) and Andy Cornish (2-4 3RBI 2B) stood out offensively for Herts.

Click to view Game 2 Box Scores and play-by-play

Co-Manager Andy Cornish was pleased with the team’s performance. He said: “I think today we made a real jump forward in our fielding game, both pitchers were at the top of their game. Nic Goetz and Nick Russell were great on the mound today.” He added that “The team was really buzzing after the game, and I for one cannot wait for the next game so that we can continue to put in solid performances”. Will the Hawks be able to shock the league by beating the London Mammoths who come to Grovehill Ballpark this Sunday, 20 May 2012 (12:00 first pitch).

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Test against Mets shows major improvement for Herts

The Herts U17 team came up against the reigning National U17 Champions, the London Mets. The team from the capital is always a formidable opponent and they have strengthened further with several new players from Venezuela and Japan. They beat Herts convincingly on the day, but the visitors are a much more solid team this year. The players are a year older, bigger and stronger and seem to have much greater confidence even against the champions.

John Peters shut them down allowing only 1 hit and 1 run over 5 innings. The Mets have just returned from the Pony European Qualifiers in Prague where they faced hard throwing pitchers so they didn’t seem intimidated by herts flame thrower, Liam Green. In fact the off-speed pitches of 13-year-old, Brodie Caress, seemed to trouble them more. Brodie was one of the few Herts pitchers who managed to contain the Mets offence allowing only 1 hit and no runs. Marty Cullen Jr got the only hit for Herts in that first game of the series, but depite the 13-1 loss, it was very positive to see only 1 error committed by the team.

Click to view game 1 box scores and play-by-play

In game 2 Marty Cullen Jr started on the mound. His pitching kept the Mets much quieter. Herts kept within touching distance right up to the fifth inning when the score was 7-2, but 5 runs in the bottom of the fifth clinched the second win for London on the day with a score of 12-2. Kyle Lloyd-Jones (2-3 RBI) and Richard Ganster (1-2) were the bright spots in the Herts batting lineup.

Click to view game 2 box scores and play-by-play

Last year Herts lost 19-2 and 23-10 in the same matchup and the team will be going back to Hertforshire knowing that they have made major improvements over the last 12 months especially given the fact that the Mets have strengthened further this season.

Next up for Herts is a home double-header against the Horsham Hornets who are joint leaders in the U17 League standings. First pitch 11:30am, Saturday, 19 May 2012.


 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts U14 team loses its first road games of the season

Written by hertsbaseball.com reporter Chris Jones

Herts U14 team last played a month ago, before the wettest April on record forced the cancellation of three successive weekends’ baseball. It felt good simply to get out into the sunshine and play the game. Twelve U14s made the trip south to face a daunting double-header against an experienced, well-drilled London Mets side.

In horseracing terms the Finsbury Park going would have been described as ‘soft’, but the Mets ground staff did a good job in creating a playable surface. After the Herts team squelched over to the visitors’ dugout, more of the handsome new Herts baseball jerseys were distributed to the players. Herts fielded a few new joiners (a big welcome to Leon Bowers, Alex Guthrie and Tom Jansson-Wright), and the team took to the field in a combination of white jerseys, an anorak and a couple of “Drew Mayhew” Herts t-shirts.

From the first inning Herts were up against it. Mets starting pitcher Takiya struck out the first three batters without bat touching ball, and in response London hit a triple and a double. Although base-stealing is not allowed at this level until pitch passes plate, the Mets also advanced six bases on wild pitches or passed balls. Callum Vangundy then struck out batters six and seven with some good pitching to close the inning. The second and third innings followed a similar pattern, and by the bottom of the 3rd Herts found ourselves down 10-0. But their defensive play had started to improve, with a good ground-out at first and a nice tag applied at third base. At the top of the fourth the visitors picked up their first two hits of the game: Aaron Witter hit a single and Callum Vangundy followed up with another single to bring home Tom Adams for an RBI. However, Herts continued to give up runs in the remaining innings, and the game ended 19-1 to the Mets. The difference between the two teams was mainly down to London’s 66% strike percentage, compared to Herts’ 40%; but more consistency will certainly come as pitchers gain experience on the mound. All credit to Herts, though – despite the scoreline, heads didn’t drop and there was a high level of commitment throughout.

Click to view game 1 box scores and play-by-play

The second game started more evenly. Herts picked up an early run after Tom Adams hit a single and Callum hit a double to bring him home. Starting pitcher Ben Jones then pitched a tidy inning, giving up only two runs. Later in the game he was relieved by Gavin Peterson who produced one of his best performances on the mound. The London Mets won the second game convincingly once again with a score of 15-1 and they certainly look like one of the favourites in the Under-14 League this year.

Next up for the youngsters from Hertfordshire is a home game on Saturday, 19 May, with the Leicester Blue Sox U14 team visiting Grovehill Ballpark in Hhemel Hempstead for the first time.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

2012 BBF postseason format and structure announced

The BBF Board has released the “Road to the NBC”, a document detailing the post-season structure and schedules for adult and youth teams vying for spots in the 2012 National Baseball Championships.

The British Baseball Federation has announced the post-season format and schedule for the 2012 National Baseball Championship (NBC), to be held over the late summer bank holiday weekend, August 25-27. The adult NBC will include a double-elimination NBL bracket, semi-finals and finals for AAA and AA and a Single-A final, with the potential for 14 games played over three days at a single venue.

The NBC qualifications will take place on August 12 and/or 19, with 26 teams vying for spots in the finals.

The playoffs and NBC are earlier this year to take advantage of the three-day bank holiday weekend and a return to extended finals competition for the adult leagues, as well as to allow the GB Baseball programme to prepare and fundraise for the European Baseball Championships and World Baseball Classic qualifier in September.

INPUT AND FEEDBACK

The “Road to the NBC” was drafted with input from commissioners and league representatives as well as feedback from the teams themselves following last year’s highly successful Championship weekend. The BBF is hopeful that the adjustments made to the qualification process, structure and schedule — as well as the shift to a three-day event — will make the post-season experience even more exciting than in previous years.

Planning for the NBC is already in progress and the venue will be announced as soon as possible. As in 2011, the Great Britain Baseball National Teams programme will serve as event organisers, facilitating the staffing, catering, sponsorship and grounds maintenance for the NBC on behalf of the British baseball community. The NBC represents one of Team GB’s major fundraisers, and 100% of catering and merchandising profit from the weekend goes to support our national team players in overseas competition.

The Bronco and Pony post-season details, along with the 2012 Youth National Baseball Championships (YNBC) schedule will be announced later in May.

FULL DETAILS

For full details of the postseason playoffs and the NBC view the following documents:

BBF 2012 “Road to the Finals”

2012 Post-Season Structure

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Hawks suffer second loss of the season

Louis Hare recorded 8 strikeouts and allowed only 4 earned runs in 9 innings but it wasn't enough for the Hawks

The Herts Hawks hosted the Poole Piranhas after a two-week hiatus due to lack of rain, according to the ongoing hose-pipe ban policy. The old diamond at Grovehill, which is historically resilient to bad weather, was playable (bar a swimming pool in the visitor’s dugout, but, according to Hawks Co-Manager, Greg Bochan, “That’s why it is called the Visitors’ Dugout”.

Hawks were lucky enough to have several players on secondment, including Louis Hare, Kim Saionji, Arnie Longboy and Zach Longboy, and they were all needed. Despite getting off to a shaky start that resulted in the Piranhas taking a 5-0 lead in the first inning, Hare settled down on the mound (i.e. warmed up) and kept the Piranhas from getting away with the game. Unfortunately, the Piranhas’ pitcher was also on top form, throwing a lot of strikes and mixing in some knee-buckling curves with a difficult to hit fastball, and his defence, in particular the Poole short stop, held firm behind him. Auchterlounie, Saionji, Hare and later Zach Longboy all were able to get base hits off him, but the rest of the Herts bats were kept quiet and the first Hawks’ run came in after 4 innings.

Matt Johnston could be out for 4 to 6 weeks with a hamstring injury

The Hawks’ task was made more difficult when outfield dynamo Matt Johnston suffered a hamstring injury while attempting to steal second base. He had to be carried to the dugout and subsequently to the car park. The Hawks team will be hoping for his speedy recovery. Zach Longboy came in to replace him and did a great job, getting a base hit, but despite providing a creditable performance, turning a couple of double plays and staying in the game, Herts were unable to overcome the 5-run first inning deficit. The game finished Piranhas 9, Herts Hawks 4.

Click to view box scores and play-by-play

Herts Hawks Co-Manager, Greg Bochan, felt that the Piranhas deserved the win. He said: “In the first inning there were a lot of cobwebs being knocked off by Louis who hasn’t pitched in a long while. On top of that there were a few errors. This gave Poole a 5-run lead. After the first inning we started to settle into the game and it was pretty close from there on in. Poole had really good pitching and they held on for the win.”

The Hawks travel to the Kent Mariners next Sunday, 13 May 2012. They will need the missing members of their team to be back quickly and return to winning ways if they want to stay in the race for the postseason playoffs.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

This Saturday’s youth league games cancelled

A confirmation has just been received that the BBF U17, U14 and U11 league games scheduled at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead this Saturday, 5 May 2012, have been cancelled. 

A club spokesperson indicated that “the ballpark is still waterlogged and is still unplayable. There have been several inspections of the venue over the last 48 hours and there is still a significant amount of standing water.”

This comes after it was confirmed this week that this has been the wettest April since records began. This is the third consecutive week of cancellations of youth league games which is causing a major disruption to the league schedule, but the hope is that the baseball season can resume next week.