The British Baseball Federation (BBF) has announced the pairings for the Under-14 and Under-17 National Baseball Championship Semi-Finals. 

After winning against the London Mets last weekend, the Under-14 Herts All Stars have been confirmed as the Southern Conference second seed.  LYBL are the first seed and the Essex RedBacks are the South’s third seed team after they won the elimination game against the London Mets in the final playoff match-up last Saturday. The fourth team to reach the Semi-Final is Cartmel Valley which is the number one seeded team from the Northern Conference.

In the first Semi-Final this Saturday, 17 September, the Herts All Stars have been drawn to play against Cartmel Valley. The game starts at 11am.  The second final between LYBL and the Essex RedBacks will commence at 2pm.

The winners will meet on Sunday at 1pm in the Final to determine the 2011 National Champions.  Ahead of that game the losing Semi-Finalists will face-off in the bronze medal game at 10:30am.

The event will be held at Connare Field in Richmond. Hosts Richmond will have food and drinks on offer with fully licensed bar, hot meals, BBQ and a concessions stands.

Herts are already making their hotel bookings and travel arrangements for another Herts invasion.

SCHEDULE

UNDER-14

Saturday 17^th September

11am – Semi Final One – Herts All-Stars, South #2, @ Cartmel Valley, North #1

2pm – Semi Final Two – Essex Redbacks, South #3, @ LYBL, South # 1

Sunday 18^th September

10.30am – 3rd / 4th place playoff – Loser SF1 v Loser SF2 *

1pm – Championship Game – Winner SF1 v Winner SF2 *

* Coin toss to decide home team

UNDER-17

Saturday 17^th September

11am – Semi Final One – Cobham Cougars, South #2, @ Cartmel Valley, North #1

2pm – Semi Final Two – Halton Polecats, North #2, @ London Mets, South # 1

Sunday 18^th September

10.30am – 3rd / 4th place playoff- Loser SF1 v Loser SF2 *

1pm – Championship Game – Winner SF1 v Winner SF2 *

* Coin toss to decide home team

Essex Atoms 1 Herts All Stars 12 (Box Scores)  

The Herts All Stars are through to the Semi-Finals of the 2011 Under-14 National Baseball Championships after a dramatic win against old rivals, London Mets.  

Despite being the defending champions, Herts went into the postseason playoffs as the third seed team behind LYBL and London who were first and second seed, respectively, so they had a very difficult task on their hands.   

Before even thinking about facing the higher seeded teams Herts had to overcome the Essex Atoms in an elimination game.  The two teams had not met in the past so the team from Hertfordshire did not know what to expect.  They quickly took control of the game with a 9-0 lead after two innings.  Jose Morillo, Zack Longboy and Richard Ganster each had three hits in the game. Callum Vangundy, Lewis Green and Brodie Caress also contributed with hits of their own.  Jose Morillo started on the mound and Gavin Peterson came in to close in the final inning. They combined for a no-hitter.  Credit must be given to the Essex Atoms who kept going all the way to the end.  Their effort was rewarded with a run in the final inning.  This is their first ever season in the Under-14 League and they will be getting better as they get more games under their belts.  

Herts All Stars 10 London Mets 4 (Box Scores)  

Next up for the All Stars was a Quarter-Final encounter with the London Mets in a repeat of the National Final 12 months ago. Herts took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first after Richard Ganster beat out a groundball in the infield with two outs to drive home Zack Longboy.  In the bottom of that inning Zack Longboy started very confidently on the mound striking out London’s first three batters. This was proving to be another pitcher’s duel until the third inning when Herts exploded with a devastating offensive display against the London pitcher who had been almost invincible up to that point.  Zack Longboy started it all with an impressive opposite-field home run down the right field line. A walk by Jose Morillo was followed by three singles from Lewis Green, Richard Ganster and Callum Vangundy.  

London responded strongly with two runs in the bottom of that inning followed by a 2-run home run in the top of the fourth to make the score 6-4 going into the final inning.  The score could have been even closer if it wasn’t for an inch-perfect relay from the outfield wall in centerfield with Lewis Green gunning down the London runner at home.  

The tension around the ballpark was incredible.  Spurred on by the deafening noise from the Herts fans, the All Stars produced another hitting assault.  Longboy led-off with another single (3-3, HR , 1 RBI, 3 R).  With one out, Lewis Green then worked a walk to get on base.  Richard Ganster (2-3, HR, 5 RBI) launched a towering 3-run home run to left-centerfield.  Not to be outdone, Brodie Caress (1-3, HR) then stepped up and crushed an identical home run of his own to round-off a 4-run inning.  

Despite having a 10-4 lead there was still work to do in the bottom of that final inning.  Zack Longboy (5 IP, 9 K, 3 H, 2 ER) was still on the mound and he ended the game in style with three quick outs to the delight of the travelling Herts fans who invaded the field.   

The team will now be heading to Richmond’s Connare Field for the Semi-Finals and Finals of the 2011 National Baseball Championships on 17 and 18 September.  Full details of the schedule will be published right here on the Herts Baseball News website.  

HEARTBREAK FOR HERTS U17 ALL STARS  

The Herts fans who had come to support the U14 All Stars at Finsbury Park had to endure double dosage of tension and drama as throughout the day they were receiving updates of the score from Buckinghamshire where the U17 All Stars were also involved in another playoff battle against the Essex RedBacks.  

The lead kept changing hands inning-after-inning.  Herts had a slender 1-run lead going into the bottom of the final inning but sadly couldn’t hold on to it losing 11-10 at the end.  

Despite the loss, the Herts U17 All Stars should be very proud of a fantastic first ever season going up into this age group.  They brought a lot of pride to the Herts Baseball Club showing heart yet again despite missing 5 regular players who were assigned to the Herts U14 roster.  All the signs show that the future is bright for the Herts U17 team. A check of the average age of all of the U17 teams which reached the playoff shows that many of the players among their opponents will be over the age limit next year while most of Herts’ players have 2 or even 3 years still to play in the Under-17 League during which they will have the opportunity to shift the balance of power.  

A link to Box Scores from the Under-17 Playoff game between Herts and Essex RedBacks will be uploaded here soon. 

Click here for more photos from today’s playoff games 

24 hours before Saturday’s eagerly-awaited Under-17 and Under-14 postseason playoffs the British Baseball Federation has announced the postseason rosters of the 11 participating teams.

Herts are going into the Under-17 playoffs with a roster which has a significantly lower average age than the other U17 teams.  On the basis of this and their regular season record, the Herts U17 All Stars go into the games tomorrow as the outsiders. The Under-14 Herts team is ranked third in the seeding. 

From last year’s Under-14 National Championship-winning squad there are five players who are still within the Under-14 age group, while six others have moved up into the Under-17 age group.

 SPYING MISSION

We have also received reports that Herts U17 Manager, Lee Manning, has been very thorough in his preparations going as far as actually visiting the venue of the Under-17 Playoffs.  He sent in photos showing what the venue looks like 24 hours before the games commence.

Click here for more photos of RAF Daws Hill

After several weeks of summer holidays the Herts Baseball Little League teams returned to Grovehill Ballpark for the deciding games in the Majors and Minors Championships.

GIANTS CLINCH TITLE IN DRAMATIC EXTRA INNINGS

In the Minors the Herts Giants went into the final game one game ahead of the Herts Dodgers, so there was no room for error for the Dodgers.  They needed to win to force an additional one-game Championship decider. 

They looked down and out going into the fifth and final inning trailing 19-11, but they came out fired up and started a memorable comeback.  11 Dodgers came home to score to give them a 3-run lead (22-19).  In the bottom of the inning the pressure was now on the Giants and they scored three to tie the score at 22-22 and take the game into extra innings.  In the top of the sixth Dodgers regained the lead with another two runs.  Would that be enough? 

With players like Matt Cowler who hit another home run for the Giants earlier in the game the Dodgers needed their defence to perform at their best.  It seemed as though they will manage to complete one of the greatest come-backs in the history of the Herts Little League as they quickly got two outs in the bottom of the sixth.  The Giants had other ideas. Beau Mack-Rehnsi delivered the final blow with a single to left-centerfield which drove in James Roberts to win the game 25-24.

A great Championship-deciding game which will be talked about for a long time.

RED SOX NATION RETAINS CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE

In the Majors, the Herts Yankees had a mountain to climb in this best-of-7 series.  They were trailing 2-0.  Everyone was hoping that this match-up will go all the way to game 7 but the Red Sox went into the games with a very focused and professional approach and did not give an inch to their opponents.  Justin Henderson dominated on the mound pitching a no-hitter in game 3.

It was now a do-or-die situation for the Yankees, and the relentless Red Sox pressure continued.  Kyle Lloyd-Jones hit a 3-run home run off Liam Green which went deep over the right field wall and almost cleared the permanent outfield wall which applies to adult league games.  By the time the Yankees got their offensive game going they were trailing 12-2. 

In the third inning Liam Green responded with a 2-run home run to left-centerfield which also came just a few feet short of clearing the full adult league regulation outfield wall distance.  Green produced an absolutely identical 2-run home run in the fifth.  Richard Ganster then stepped up to launch another bomb for a back-to-back home run.  All of this impressive power hitting got the fans off their seats, but at the end proved to be too little and too late for the Yankees. 

The final score was 18-7 completing a convincing 4-0 overall win in the Series and a Herts Majors Championship for a second consecutive year for Arnold Longboy’s team who is starting to build a Red Sox Nation of his own.

Game 3 Box Scores

Game 4 Box Scores

More photos from the event

We have reached the culmination of the 2011 Herts Minors and Majors Championship Series and the winners will be determined this coming Saturday.  Both series are finely poised so it is expected to be a dramatic day of baseball at Grovehill Ballpark.

In the Minors Series, the Herts Giants have the upper hand over the Herts Dodgers, but a win for the Dodgers would bring both teams level in the standings.  They certainly have the momentum on their side as they go into Saturday’s decider with a two-game winning streak.

The Red Sox have dominated the Majors Series so far this season.  They have a 2-0 lead so there is very little margin for error for the Herts Yankees.

The managers of the Herts youth teams have been busy making player transactions ahead of these deciding games.

Who will lift the trophy?  Giants or Dodgers?  Red Sox or Yankees? The action commences at 11am. 

Hot dogs, refreshments and other snacks will be on offer throughout the day and the event is open for anyone to come and enjoy.

Today is football’s transfer deadline day and football managers around the UK have been signing players which they hope will bring them success this season, spending over £300 million in the process.  The managers of the Herts youth baseball teams have also been busy ahead of this Saturday’s games which will decide the Herts Little League Championships.  They have been a lot more economical focusing mainly on  free agents, but the signings they have made could make all the difference this weekend.

Herts Red Sox Manager, Arnie Longboy picked up pitcher Justin Henderson and Charlie Boneham who has played in the outfield for the Herts U17 All Stars so far but his versatility may mean that the Red Sox could try him in other positions as well.  Boneham’s debut for Herts was against the Cobham Cougars and he proved to be one of the most valuable players on that day.

Herts Yankees Manager, Kent Peterson, added Richard Ganster to his roster.  Ganster will add power to the Yankees batting lineup and will strengthen the team as an accomplished pitcher, catcher and pretty much any other position in the field.