Category: Headlines

by AspiDimitrov

Losing Streak Over

Darrin Ward hit his second home run of the season and picked up the win for the Herts Falcons to end their 6-game losing streak

There was a very visible relief on the faces of everyone connected with Herts Baseball on Sunday.  The club’s top team, the Herts Falcons, finally broke the curse that has been hanging over the team since the Opening Day of the season.

The team went into the game against the Croydon Pirates bottom of the NBL standings with no wins and six losses.  They got off to a perfect start taking a commanding lead early.  Darrin Ward pitched a complete game allowing only 1 earned run on 4 hits, striking out 3.  Ward also contributed for the Falcons win offensively.  He went 2-for-4 which included a 2-run homerun deep over the wall in left centerfield and against a blustery wind blowing in from left field.

Alexander von Rosenbach also hit a 2-run home run in the sixth inning, but by then the Falcons had the game in the bag leading 10-3, and that’s how it ended.

Game 2 promised to be a much tougher encounter with Croydon starter Tim Ssali taking the mound.  Croydon were leading 2-1 going into the bottom of the third, when Herts broke out with a game-changing 7-run inning.  They didn’t look back after that and won with a final score of 13-3.  Troy Linton, from Berkhamstead, had another good day causing havoc every time he stepped up to bat.  Louis Hare also stood out going 3-for-3 in game two, with 1 RBI.  But Hare will probably be more pleased with his work on the pitching mound. Like Ward, he allowed only 1 earned run and he also showed a lot of composure with bases loaded and no one out to ruin the Pirates’ hopes.

This is the first time that the Falcons win two games in a row since 18 April 2010 when they swept the Southampton Mustangs at home.  A 6-game losing streak was ended on Sunday and a 2-game winning streak was started.  How quickly things can turn in baseball.  Can the Falcons keep the winning streak going?  The odds are against them as next they will face the London Mets who are the hot favourites for the title. The game will be part of a National Baseball League event at Grovehill Ballpark involving six NBL teams. 

NBL DAY AT GROVEHILL BALLPARK, SUNDAY, 5 JUNE 2011

11:00 Essex Arrows v Lakenheath Diamondbacks

12:30 Herts Falcons v London Mets

14:00 Southern Nationals vs Mildenhall

by AspiDimitrov

The Intentional “Walk-Off” Walk

 

The Herts Under-14 All Stars after their win at the Essex Redbacks

Intentionally walking a batter is a strategy used by the fielding team to reduce the damage that may be caused by a big hitter coming up to bat, or to face a weaker hitter, or to load bases in such a way that would give the defensive team a better chance of getting out of an inning.  The Herts Under-14 All Stars found themselves needing to adopt the “intentional walk” strategy in the bottom of the final inning of their game with the Essex RedBacks. The intentional walk which they executed turned out to be the game winning play. It will go down in baseball history as the most effective intentional walk ever and it is very unlikely that the multi-million dollar superstars of Major League Baseball will be able to equal that.

Starting pitcher Tom Everex-Armstrong made his debut for Herts and pitched a gem to give his team a good platform to go on and win the game.  He allowed only 3 hits and 2 runs, striking out 9 in his 4 innings of work.  Going into the bottom of the final inning Herts were leading 14-7 but they found themselves in a shaky situation as Essex had scored 5 runs in the previous inning.  With 2 outs and runners on first and second base, up stepped Essex slugger, Chris, with one home run to his name already.  Herts Manager, Kent Peterson, gave the intentional walk sign to his son and closing pitcher, Gavin Peterson.

Despite being Under-14, both Peterson and catcher, Brodie Caress, were very familiar with how to execute the intentional walk and ensure that the batter had no chance to reach out and make contact with the ball.   The hitter took the first pitch as it was way outside.  He seemed to realise that he was about to get the ultimate acknowledgement that his opponents want to avoid him at all cost, and from that point it was very difficult to find a reason or explanation of what happened next.  On the next pitch, to the surprise of the large crowd which had gathered, Chris made a late nonchalant swinging motion with his bat.  The umpire wasn’t quite sure what was happening but had no option but to call strike.  On the third pitch, Chris swung again but this time aggressively, clearly trying to make contact with the ball.  He missed.  The Essex coaches started giving him clear instructions not to swing at these intentional walk pitches out of the strike zone.  With fans and players streaming in from the Under-17 game which had just finished on the adjacent diamond, tension was building up and everyone was on their feet, not knowing what exactly they were seeing and what will happen next in what was meant to be a routine intentional walk.  It must be said that the batter Chris was obviously a very competent ball player.  Despite being Under-14, he had earlier pitched a brilliant game for the Essex Under-17 team and coming from an American family was obviously a very accomplished and knowledgeable baseball player.  The only plausible explanation is that he simply wanted to make a big impact on the game and tried to do the impossible.  With a 2-1 count he followed the instructions of his coaches and took the next pitch without swinging the bat, but on the 2-2 pitch he stunned everyone by taking an almighty hack at the pitch and managed to make contact with the ball for a foul tip.  Amazingly, Herts catcher, Brodie Caress, somehow caught and held on to the foul-tipped ball for strike three, third out, a win for Herts and jubilant celebrations as Herts players and fans invaded the field.

There are over 2,000 MLB games shown on TV every year but the game of baseball somehow continues to surprise us with something new and unique every time.

The final out will be talked about for a long time, but it is also worth mentioning Callum Vangundy, Brian Moulton, Drew Mayhew, Ben Jones and Jamie Brener who all had a good day at the plate and gave the pitching staff the run support they needed.

Essex won game one 13-7, so the Herts Under-14 All Stars stay with a .500 winning record in the league standings.

Everyone, up on their feet! The game ending intentional walk pitch for the Herts U14 All Stars win over the Essex RedBacks. Never in the history of baseball has there been so much tension over an intetnional walk

LATE INNING DRAMA

The clash between the Under-17 teams of Herts and the Essex RedBacks was just as dramatic.  A shaky start for Herts in game one gave them a mountain to climb, but pitcher Zack Longboy came in and pitched almost perfect 2 and 2/3 innings allowing only 2 hits and 1 walk, but most importantly, no runs. He was helped by some good defensive plays, most notably Charlie Mayhew’s spectacular catch in the outfield followed by his throw to second base to get the force out and the inning-ending double-play.  Herts were catching up fast, but at the end they ran out of outs losing 11-9 with the tying run at the plate.

Game two was a real classic. Both teams were matching each other inning-after-inning.  It came down to the bottom of the final inning.  A walk allowed the winning run to get on base and then quickly stole twice to get to third.  With the runner on third base representing the all-important winning run, Herts had to employ the extreme defensive formation of both infield and outfield playing in to have a chance of stopping the runner advancing on a ground ball or on a sacrifice fly.  At the end the defence could do nothing about it as a wild pitch went passed the Herts catcher for the winning run to come in.

Despite two heartbreaking losses, there were many positives for Herts including impressive batting by, Kieran Manning (2-3, 2 RBI) , Matteo Manzi (2-6, 4 RBI), Jose Morillo (2-5, 1 RBI), Liam Green (4-6, 3 RBI), Jonny Compton-Weight (2-7, 2 RBI) to add to the 0.00 and 2.08 ERA performances by Longboy and Green in game 1 and 2, respectively.  They will need a few more good pitching outings like this to bring down their ERA for the season, as the London Mets Under-17 team caused some long-term damage to that statistic in the Opening Games of the BBF Under-17 League season.

For full stats, box scores, standings, schedule and more, visit the official Herts Little League website.

by Rob Jones

HERTS SIDES BLOWN AWAY

The strong winds blowing across Grovehill ballpark on Sunday did nobody any favours, but the Herts baseball teams seemed to suffer the most.

Ball, glove, hatThe Herts Raptors faced their most evenly matched opponent of the year so far in the London Marauders, but the wind quickly played a part. Starting pitcher Phil Gover found his curve ball hanging in the breeze, and the outfielders were outfoxed by a series of huge fly balls.

Six runs scored in the first inning before balls kept on the infield secured the outs. Chris Deacon — returning from injury — made smart plays to retire runners at second base, though the Raptors never quite achieved the double play they were after.

Eight more runs crossed in the second before Raptors could answer back, and by the middle of the fourth the visitors lead was 27-6. Then, at last, the home team’s bats came alive. Hustle and bold hitting got results, Will Belbin and Oz Kemal picked up RBI’s, and the Raptors put 10 runs on the board.

This dramatic comeback included the strangest hit of the day. A mis-hit dribbler went back to the London pitcher, but it got him in the shins and bounced away – after two overthrows the batter was safe at third base and all the runners had scored. Sadly, such good fortune was not to last. In the end, Marauders had too much batting power for the Herts side and ran out 37-19 victors.

At least Herts did put an exclamation mark at the end of the game, as Little League graduate Zach Longboy pitched a 1-2-3 inning in his senior debut on the mound.

The other Herts teams also endured tough days. The Hawks led 6-5 after three innings, and were only narrowly behind after four. But they then suffered a bad inning which has been the hallmark of Herts losses this year. Guildford Mavericks scored 7, and then shut out their hosts to win 21-8.

One bad inning also undid the National League Falcons, at home to the Mildenhall Bulldogs. Ace Darrin Ward was on the mound in the first game but an explosion of 13 runs in the top of the third pretty much settled the matter. Nic Goetz pitched the second game, which went the full seven innings but still ended in defeat for Herts, this time 11-1. Manager Lee Manning said too many mistakes had cost the Falcons in the first match-up, but he was pleased with a better all round defensive performance in the second. “We were just out-hit”, he concluded simply.

by AspiDimitrov

Halleluiah! A win for Herts

Herts is one of the biggest baseball organisations in Great Britain but has had a nightmare start of the 2011 season.  At last, the club’s barren spell has ended and the first league win for a Herts team in 2011 came at the weekend, form an unlikely source.

After four weeks of league action the three Herts teams competing in the senior leagues each found themselves with the unenviable record of four losses out of four games.  In total this translates into twelve unsuccessful attempts to end the losing streak.

All three Herts senior teams were at home this weekend and with the Herts Under-14 and Under-17 teams starting their British League campaigns the Herts baseball family was hopeful that the nightmare run would end.  Similar to Hollywood movies like Major League and Bull Durham, members of Herts prepared for the weekend exercising all kinds of superstitions from wearing unusual type of underwear, or none at all, to continuing not to shave until the losing streak ends.  Some even considered sacrificing a live chicken.  Thankfully the chicken was spared as the Herts Under-14 All Stars won their opening game of the season against their bitter rivals the London Mets U14.  Brodie Caress was the starting pitcher who picked up the win.  Jonathan Fretheim came in to close the game in style striking out all three Mets batters to end the game.  Both Caress and Fretheim delivered the final blow to the Mets each hitting a 3-run home run deep over the outfield wall.   The second game of the double-header was won 21-10 by the London Mets.

The hard-hitting London Mets are the team to beat this season in the British Under-17 League

At the same time on the other side of Grovehill Ballpark the Herts Under-17 team also opened their season against the London Mets U-17.  This season Herts enter a baseball team into the U-17 British league for the first time in its history and with the majority of the players aged 13 and 14 it was always going to be an uphill task as they came up against the reigning Under-17 British Champions who include accomplished players who are 2 or 3 years older than them.  Despite this, Herts put up a brave fight especially in game two.  They may have lost both games, but this was a good opportunity for the future stars of Herts Baseball to see what the target is for them over the next few years.  The final scores of the two Under-17 League games were 19-2 and 23-10 in favour of the Mets.

The Herts Giants had a dramatic come back win against the Herts Dodgers on Saturday

While this was taking place the Herts Giants and the Herts Dodgers clashed as part of the Herts regional league schedule for the Under-12s.  The Giants won it 18-17 with a dramatic walk off hit to extend their lead in the Herts Minor League standings.

On Sunday it was the turn of the Herts senior teams.  The Herts Falcons were missing key players, Troy Linton, Jamie Munn and Liam Green who was resting after pitching in the Under-17 league game 24 hours earlier, but even if that wasn’t the case it would have been difficult to stop the powerful batting lineup of the Mildenhall Bulldogs who won both games deservedly.  Despite the loss there were many positives for the Falcons to take out of the game as they go into a crucial game against the Croydon Pirates next Sunday.

The Herts Hawks were also at home.  This time they welcomed the newly promoted Guildford Mavericks.  Although the Hawks can have no complaints about the loss, it was very much a missed opportunity as the team had a commanding lead halfway through the game and let it slip away from them at the end.

The Bulldogs found Falcons pitcher Nic Goetz very hard to hit

The weekend was completed with the Single-A League game between the London Marauders and the Herts Raptors. The boys from Herts suffered another loss, but that will not dampen the enthusiasm of the team.  Some struggling teams like to approach one game at a time and this principle applies to the Raptors as well.  The team is a work-in-progress but the day when they will be ready to seriously challenge their opponents is not too far away.  Until then, the team may have to approach one inning at a time rather than one game at a time.

Next Games:

12:00, Sun, 29 May, Croydon Pirates @ Herts Falcons (NBL) (Grovehill Ballpark, Herts)

11:00, Sat, 28 May, Herts All Stars U17 @ Essex RedBacks U17 (Chelmsford, Essex)

11:00, Sat, 28 May, Herts All Stars U14 @ Essex RedBacks U14 (Chelmsford, Essex)

by Rob Jones

Royals Rout Raptors

Cambridge Royals 23-3 Herts Raptors, May 15th 2011

The weather was cold and blustery, and the Royals had already demolished the Raptors once this season. But 11 players made the drive to Cambridge with spirits high. The Herts team had realistic expectations, but the main thing they want to do is play their best.

The first inning perhaps set the tone in that the Raptors fought well but were overmatched. An accurate sidearm pitcher got leadoff phenom Zach Longboy out on a line drive. Rob Jones then coaxed his customary walk, and had steals of second nullified by foul balls as Ali Hall battled hard at the plate.  Hall was alert enough to run when the catcher dropped his third strike, but an equally alert Cambridge bench had him called out because first base had been occupied. Jones was stranded on third as the next man up grounded out. What could have been first and third with one out was turned around by the Royals’ years of experience.

Arnie Longboy
Longboy Snr scored two of the three Raptors runs

With bats in their hand, they put that experience to good use. Over the first three innings they racked up runs with hits and walks, and took a commanding lead. The Raptors’ starting pitcher, manager Ken Pike, put in a solid performance but the strong wind and a tiny strike zone made life difficult. The defense had good moments to back him up, with Will Belbin hauling in a scorching line drive for one impressive out, but overall this was one-way traffic.

As the game progressed, the Longboy double act made the biggest impression for Herts. It was father Arnie who scored two of the three Herts runs — the first of them almost completely manufactured from a walk, a steal and overthrows. He has had a succession of good hits stolen by opposing defenses this season, and finally made one count with his second run. Zach battled against the strong wind to make two excellent catches in left field, and was praised by the Cambridge bench for his excellent technique.

There were also cameos by new acquisition Theo Scheepers, who came on as shortstop and made good plays including a smart tag with an added dance, and by lefty relief pitcher Phil Gover. He hit the strike zone more consistently than in the previous week’s outing against Guildford, and fielded his position excellently to help keep the Raptors battling.

This was another tough lesson for the Herts rookie team. Of their four defeats, two have been at the hands of a league-leading Cambridge team who can boast veterans with expertise, and power in both pitching and hitting. The host team was generous in its praise for the graduates of the Herts Little league, and for the team spirit of the Raptors. But Ken Pike’s men are itching for a straight fight with a rival team. Maybe it can come this week…

by AspiDimitrov

Yankees and Dodgers Comebacks Short-Lived. Herts and London Resume Rivalry this Saturday in Biggest Game of the Season So Far.

Liam Green hit his second home run of the season

 

The Herts Yankees and Herts Dodgers were looking to bounce back after recording losses in week one of the Herts Baseball Little League.  The Dodgers got their first win of the season with a convincing 18-8 score against the Giants. Dodgers’ batters had an outstanding game at the plate.  Ben Jones was one of the star performers going 4-for-5 with 5 RIBIs including a home run over the centerfield wall.  Dodgers celebration were short-lived as the Giants came back strong in game two winning 17-13 which means they lead the series 3-1.  Game two saw home runs by Matt Cowler (2)  and Aaron Witter. 

In the Herts Major League, the Herts Yankees had a spring in their step with several key reinforcements coming in for them.  Lewis Green started on the mound for them and gave them exactly the start which they needed.  They had a healthy 9-3 lead going into the third inning, but then the Red Sox came alive and started to put runs on the scoreboard and eventually took the lead going into the final inning.  A late surge by the Yankees in the final inning included a 2-run home run by Liam Green (2) bringing them to within one run, but then Red Sox pitcher, Zack Longboy, shut the door retiring three batters in succession to end the game and give the Red Sox a 2-0 lead in the series. 

Rivals London Mets Come to Town this Saturday 

Will Herts and London produce another classic this Saturday at Grovehill Ballpark

 

Next Saturday, 21 May 2011, the Herts U-17 and Herts U-14 All Star teams will clash in the National League against their London Mets counterparts. This is a repeat of the dramatic London versus Herts National Final which Herts won to lift the Under-14 National Trophy last October.  This year Herts is entering an Under-17 team for the first time in its history. Many of the Herts Under-17 players were members of the Under-14 Championship-winning team from last year. This time they will be facing much older and more experienced players, so it will be exciting to see how they will start in the Under-17 British League. With so many Under-14 Herts players moving up to the Under-17 team, there will be many new faces representing Herts at the Under-14 League level. 

Everything is set for a fantastic day of baseball between two of the biggest rivals in Great Britain.  The games begin at 12pm this Saturday, 21 May 2011, at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead.  Free admission for all.  Hot Dogs, and alls sorts of other snacks and refreshments will be available on the day. Many new players have signed up with the Herts teams this year and new players can join the League and give baseball a try at any point of the season. For more details contact Herts Baseball Club by visiting the official website of the Herts Baseball Little League.

WEEKEND’S BOX SCORES IN THE HERTS LITTLE LEAGUE

Herts Yankees at Herts Red Sox
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Herts Yankees 4 5 0 4 1 0 4 18 15 12
Herts Red Sox 2 1 3 3 5 5 0 19 9 0
Herts Red Sox 19, Herts Yankees 18
Herts Red Sox Herts Yankees
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Brodie Caress p-ss 3 3 1 0 Jose Morillo ss-c-3b 3 3 1 0
Charlie Mayhew lf 2 3 0 0 Gavin Peterson cf-p-3b-c 4 3 1 0
Kyle Lloyd-Jones 1b 2 4 2 0 Cameron Ross 2b-cf 4 4 3 2
Kieran Manning c 5 2 2 0 Liam Green c-ss 5 3 4 3
Harry Purvis cf 4 2 1 3 Jonny Compton-Weight 1b-p 4 3 3 1
Zack Longboy ss-p 1 2 0 0 Callum Vangundy 3b-rf 2 2 1 1
Brian Moulton 2b 3 1 0 0 (b4) Daisy Ross rf 2 0 0 1
Tristan Le Coz 3b 3 0 2 2 Lewis Green p-1b-3b 5 0 2 4
Alex Rayner rf 2 2 1 0 Rhys Burns lf-2b 2 0 0 0
          Tom Adams rf-2b-lf 4 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 25 19 9 5 TEAM TOTALS 35 18 15 12
E: Jose Morillo(5), Lewis Green(2), Tom Adams(2), Liam Green, Callum Vangundy, Gavin
Peterson. DP: Herts Yankees 1. LOB: Herts Red Sox 6, Herts Yankees 7. 2B: Brodie
Caress, Harry Purvis, Jonny Compton-Weight(2), Lewis Green, Liam Green, Cameron Ross.
HR: Liam Green. SB: Zack Longboy(3), Harry Purvis(2), Brodie Caress(2), Charlie
Mayhew, Kyle Lloyd-Jones, Brian Moulton, Tristan Le Coz, Alex Rayner, Jose
Morillo(5), Gavin Peterson(2), Jonny Compton-Weight.
Herts Red Sox IP H R ER BB SO
Zack Longboy W 4.00 9 9 9 5 7
Brodie Caress 2.33 6 9 8 3 3
Herts Yankees            
Lewis Green 2.00 4 3 0 0 2
Gavin Peterson 2.00 4 6 1 6 1
Jonny Compton-Weight L 1.33 1 10 4 10 1
HBP: by Brodie Caress (Callum Vangundy). . . . . . . WP: Brodie Caress(3), Zack
Longboy(2), Jonny Compton-Weight(11). PB: Kieran Manning(2), Gavin Peterson(5). T:
2:49. A: 78.

Herts Dodgers at Herts Giants
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Herts Dodgers 1 5 5 2 5 18 28 1
Herts Giants 1 0 4 0 3 8 17 2
Herts Dodgers 18, Herts Giants 8
Herts Dodgers Herts Giants
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Alexander Deacon p 5 3 5 3 Jamie Brener 1b-ss 3 1 2 1
Rylie Peterson lf 5 1 3 1 Lewis Auchterlounie p-sf 3 1 2 0
Ben Jones c 5 3 4 5 Ryan Reynolds 3b-cf 3 3 3 0
Theo Longboy 1b 4 1 3 5 Matt Cowler cf-3b 3 0 1 1
Zoe Wakelam 3b 4 1 1 0 Aaron Witter ss-1b 3 2 1 1
Colin Vawter cf 4 2 3 1 James Roberts 2b 3 0 3 3
Nicholas Durer 2b 4 2 3 0 Beau Mack-Rehnsi c 3 0 2 2
Jonathan Wakelam sf 4 1 1 0 Christian Lynch lf-p 3 0 0 0
Oliver Durer rf 4 2 2 1 Louis Boote rf-lf 2 0 1 0
Keanu Wood ss 4 2 3 2 Alex Trautman rf-ph 2 0 0 0
          Alex Crombie sf-dh 2 1 2 0
TEAM TOTALS 43 18 28 18 TEAM TOTALS 30 8 17 8
E: Alexander Deacon, Lewis Auchterlounie, Aaron Witter. LOB: Herts Giants 7, Herts
Dodgers 12. 2B: Ben Jones, Theo Longboy, Aaron Witter, Jamie Brener. HR: Ben Jones
Herts Giants at Herts Dodgers
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Herts Giants 4 2 5 4 2 17 23 0
Herts Dodgers 0 2 5 5 1 13 23 2
Herts Giants 17, Herts Dodgers 13
Herts Giants Herts Dodgers
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Lewis Auchterlounie 3b-lf 4 1 1 0 Colin Vawter 3b 4 0 2 1
Jamie Brener lf-2b 4 3 3 2 Nicholas Durer cf 4 1 3 2
Matt Cowler cf 4 2 3 3 Keanu Wood lf 4 2 4 1
Aaron Witter 1b 4 3 4 4 Rylie Peterson 2b 4 2 2 1
Christian Lynch c 4 1 2 0 Alex Crombie p 4 2 2 2
James Roberts ss 4 2 2 2 Oliver Durer c 4 3 4 1
Ryan Reynolds rf-3b 4 2 3 2 Alexander Deacon ss 4 3 4 2
Beau Mack-Rehnsi 2b-rf 4 2 3 2 Ben Jones 1b 4 0 1 2
Alex Trautman p 4 1 2 1 H Player 9 rf 2 0 1 1
TEAM TOTALS 36 17 23 16 TEAM TOTALS 34 13 23 13
E: Alexander Deacon, Rylie Peterson. LOB: Herts Giants 6, Herts Dodgers 9. 2B: Jamie
Brener(2), Matt Cowler, Beau Mack-Rehnsi, Alexander Deacon. HR: Matt Cowler, Aaron
Witter.
by AspiDimitrov

Falcons Game Switched to Grovehill

Fans of Herts Baseball can look forward to two games in Hemel Hempstead this Sunday after the venue for the Falcons vs Diamondbacks game was switched.

Due to a clash at RAF Feltwell, the Herts Falcons’ next league game with the Lakenheath Diamondbacks has been moved to Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead.  The Falcons will still be treated as the visiting team in the game, but hopefully playing at home will give them an advantage as they seek their first win of the season.  The team has had to sit out without any league action over the last three weekends, so they will be eager to get back to the diamond.  They go into the game with a 0-2 record after their Opening Day defeat against the Southampton Mustangs who have quitely gone to the top of the standings with a 6-0 record. 

The Falcons vs Diamondbacks game begins at 12:45. 

Also playing at Grovehill Ballpark are the club’s AA team, the Hawks (0-2).  They clash with League favorites the Sidewinders.  Game starts at 12:00.

The Herts Raptors (0-3) travel to Single-A League leaders, the Cambridge Royals.

by AspiDimitrov

Herts Yankees Move for Morillo and Machin

The Herts Yankees have shown their intentions with two big player trades before Saturday Game 2 against the Red Sox

Last Saturday ahead of the Opening Day clash between the Herts Yankees and the Herts Red Sox there was a last minute player trade.  Cameron Choudhuri moved from the Yankees to the Red Sox in exchange for a player to be named later. The Herts Little League has just confirmed that the player going in the other direction is Jose Morillo. He has developed very quickly into one of Herts Baseball’s hottest prospects and already made his debut with the club’s adult team, the Herts Raptors, who play in the British Single-A League.  He will add experience and a lot of power to the Yankees lineup.  It is a much needed boost for the Yankees who found themselves on the losing end in game one and need to bounce back in game two.

The Herts Yankees made another move by picking up Johnny Machin, who is expected to make his debut in the Herts Major League in early June.  It has been reported that the Machin family are big New York Yankees fans so they will be pleased with this news.

Fans of the Herts Little League can keep track of player transactions throughout the season on the League’s official website. (Click to view)

by Rob Jones

Raptors rally in vain

Herts Raptors 16-36 Guildford Mavericks II

Grovehill ballpark, Sunday 8th May 2011

This was, in many ways, a game of two halves. Raptors made heavy weather of the first, while picking themselves up for a brave rally in the second. The final result, though, was decided by the fact that the first half included two big meltdowns.

Photo by H2P photographic
Raptors' lefty pitcher, Phil Gover

The home team’s starting pitcher Phil Gover struggled to get into his rhythm as the game began, walking the first three batters. He settled down and the Mavericks only really got one good hit in the first inning, from a player they had borrowed, Jonny Compton-Weight.  Nonetheless, when it was over 10 runs had crossed the plate. A far from ideal start.

Herts looked to strike back quickly with both the leadoff, Rob Jones, and second hitter Zach Longboy getting aboard with walks. Gover then helped his own cause by driving in a run, which he did again later in the game. But even though the Guildford starter had his own control troubles, and Herts mostly seemed able to get bat on ball, they could only notch up 2 runs as a reply.

The game became tighter for a while, with Herts still giving up walks but also now getting strikeouts. The defence was doing its job, too. An infield double play, and a sure-handed outfield catch by newcomer John Kjorstad, helped keep the third inning clean. And by the top of the fourth it was 13-4 to Guildford.

That is when the visitors started to get their bats going and piling up runs. Raptors could not seem to get the outs they needed, especially that third out. Rob Jones was brought in as an emergency relief pitcher to try to close out the inning. But while he threw strikes, Guildford started to tee off on the pitches and the Raptors defence could not shut the door. A series of routine fielding chances were missed, including one by the pitcher himself, and each time a run scored.

So manager Ken Pike stepped out from behind the dish, where he had been umpiring, to come and fight the fire. Taking over on the mound, he was able to close it out. But in all, 18 runs had crossed the plate, possibly a record even for the Raptors. And that left the team in a deep hole.

And that is where the second half begins. As Herts Hawks started to gather on the sidelines, shouting encouragement, Raptors heads did not drop but lifted, and they fought for the game. They made some better defensive plays and most importantly had both belief and patience at the plate. Will Belbin made fine efforts to secure outs at first base, while third baseman Theo Scheepers had a stream of good hits.

The Guildford pitcher was now tiring and walked batters as Herts  loaded the bases in the seventh with nobody out. Kjorstad stroked a triple to right field, while the Mavericks defence also made a few errors, and an inspired rally was underway. Seven runs scored in all before the final strikeout was called, and the home side had made a respectable score.

There were clear positives for the Herts side. A bit of juggling with the stats would make a very different outcome — for example, Raptors outscored the visitors by a total of 13-8 in five of the seven innings; and they won the last three innings 11-5. But Guildford had complete control because of two innings in which they had scored 28 runs. Raptors will take the lessons on to their next contest in Cambridge.

While all this was happening, the Herts Hawks had been taking on Richmond on Grovehill’s other diamond. They twice rallied from deficits in an excellent game, but ended up as 16-12 losers.

by AspiDimitrov

Home Runs, Walk-Off Hits and Hot Dogs on Opening Day

 

The Red Sox dominated offensively and defensively on Opening Day

The Red Sox got off to the best possible start of the season with a convincing win against the Herts Yankees. The Giants are also in commanding position sweeping the Herts Dodgers on Opening Day of the Herts Little League season.

The Herts Little League team rosters were announced earlier in the week but the Yankees found themselves with a  seriously depleted squad on Saturday with several of their big guns out of action.  Jonny Compton-Weight who just returned after representing Great Britain in the Czech Republic and who is expected to play a key role for the team was unable to take part after suffering with the flu. Callum Vangundy, Jack Harding, Robert Binns and Vincent Moulton were also missing from the Yankees lineup.

The Red Sox took advantage of this by taking a 5-0 lead in the first inning. Lewis Green who has been making tremendous progress as a pitcher over the last 2 years came in to pitch in the second inning for the Yankees and pitched a perfect inning without allowing any hits or walks.  One run did come in during that inning after the Yankees defence committed two errors but this does not take away from the fantastic pitching performance by Green.  The Yankees seemed to be buzzing all of a sudden and were back in the game with a towering 3-run home run to right-centerfield, by Liam Green. That made the score 6-4.  Zack Longboy who was the winning pitcher for the Sox in last year’s final started on the mound and gave his team the platform they needed pitching three innings very effectively allowing 4 hits and 2 walks. By the time he was relived by Brodie Caress the Red Sox had a commanding 11-4 lead thanks to hits by Jose Morillo, Longboy and Kyle Lloyd-Jones who hit a towering 2-run home run. Caress came in and pitched 3 quality innings.  The only minor hiccup came in the top of the sixth when Lewis Green hit his first home run of his career driving in three runs. By that time it was too little too late for the Yankees.  They will need their big guns back for game 2 next Saturday if they are to stand a chance against the dangerous Red Sox.

The clash in the Minors Division between the Dodgers and the Giants was a much more even affair.  Both teams were matching each other inning after inning. It came down to the bottom of final inning.  The Giants were trailing by three runs.  Singles by Rose van Dort and Josh Jones were followed by doubles by slugger Matt Cowler and Beau Mack-Rehnsi.  The knockout punch was delivered by Ryan Reynolds to give the Giants a wild 16-15 win. 

In game two both teams improved their defensive game.  The Dodgers seemed eager to tie the series and they held a 4-2 lead until the closing innings, but the Giants rallied again in the final inning winning 9-4. 

The series continue next Saturday, 14 May, once again starting at 11am.  Will the Dodgers and the Yankees be able to make a comeback or will their opponents continue their domination.

Herts Yankees at Herts Red Sox
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
Herts Yankees 0 0 4 0 0 3 7 7 4
Herts Red Sox 5 1 5 5 5 0 21 12 6
Herts Red Sox 21, Herts Yankees 7
Herts Red Sox Herts Yankees
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Charlie Mayhew 1b-cf 2 3 1 1 Matteo Manzi cf-1b-3b-p 5 1 3 1
Brodie Caress 2b-p 2 2 1 0 Charlie Owens 2b-rf 2 0 0 0
Jose Morillo ss 3 3 2 2 Gavin Peterson c-3b 4 0 0 0
Kyle Lloyd-Jones 3b 4 3 2 2 Cameron Ross 1b-p-cf 3 1 0 0
Jake Caress lf-c 3 3 2 2 Liam Green p-cf-1b-c 4 1 1 3
Kieran Manning c-lf 3 2 1 3 Kieran Burns rf-3b 1 0 1 0
Zack Longboy p-rf 3 1 2 3 (t5) Cameron Choudhuri 3b-lf 1 1 0 0
Drew Mayhew cf-2b 2 2 0 0 Tom Adams cf-ss-lf 3 1 1 0
Tristan Le Coz rf-1b 1 1 0 0 Lewis Green 3b-p-2b-rf 4 1 1 3
Cameron Choudhuri b 2 0 1 1 Rhys Burns lf-ss 1 1 0 0
Tomas Sharpe b 0 1 0 0 (b4) Alan Ross lf-ss 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 25 21 12 14 TEAM TOTALS 28 7 7 7
E: Brodie Caress(2), Jose Morillo(2), Kyle Lloyd-Jones(2), Matteo Manzi(2), Cameron
Ross, Tom Adams. DP: Herts Red Sox 1. LOB: Herts Red Sox 8, Herts Yankees 9. 2B: Jake
Caress, Kieran Manning, Cameron Choudhuri. HR: Kyle Lloyd-Jones, Liam Green, Lewis
Green. SB: Jose Morillo. CS: Lewis Green, Tom Adams.
Herts Red Sox IP H R ER BB SO
Zack Longboy W 3.00 5 4 4 2 1
Brodie Caress 3.00 2 3 3 3 2
Herts Yankees            
Lewis Green 1.00 0 1 0 0 0
Cameron Ross 0.67 4 4 4 4 0
Liam Green L 0.33 1 5 0 2 2
Matteo Manzi 0.00 7 11 9 3 1
HBP: by Zack Longboy (Kieran Burns). , by Matteo Manzi (Tristan Le Coz). . . . WP:
Zack Longboy(3), Matteo Manzi(8), Liam Green(3), Lewis Green. PB: Gavin Peterson(5).
T: 2:30. A: 78.
Herts Dodgers at Herts Giants
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Herts Dodgers 5 0 3 2 5 15 23 3
Herts Giants 5 4 2 1 4 16 23 2

 

Herts Giants 16, Herts Dodgers 15
Herts Giants Herts Dodgers
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Jamie Brener 3b 4 4 2 0 Alexander Deacon c-p 4 2 2 1
Joshua Jones ss-1b 4 3 4 1 Ben Jones 3b-c 4 3 3 0
Matt Cowler 1b-2b 4 2 2 3 Nicholas Durer cf 4 2 2 0
Beau Mack-Rehnsi cf 4 4 4 3 Theo Longboy p-3b 4 4 4 2
Ryan Reynolds rf 4 1 4 5 Zoe Wakelam 2b 4 2 3 5
James Roberts 2b-ss 3 1 2 2 Oliver Durer ss 3 1 3 2
Alex Trautman p 2 0 0 0 Ozan Martin 1b 3 0 3 3
Christian Lynch lf-c 3 0 1 0 Jonathan Wakelam rf 3 0 0 0
Lewis Auchterlounie c-lf 3 1 2 0 Rylie Peterson lf 3 1 3 2
Talia Martin rf-sf 3 0 1 1 Andrew Powell rf-sf 3 0 0 0
Rose van Dort rf-ph 3 0 1 0          
TEAM TOTALS 37 16 23 15 TEAM TOTALS 35 15 23 15

 

E: Jamie Brener, Joshua Jones, Theo Longboy(2), Oliver Durer. LOB: Herts Dodgers 8,
Herts Giants 9. 2B: Beau Mack-Rehnsi(3), Matt Cowler(2), Jamie Brener, Rylie
Peterson.

 

Herts Giants IP H R ER BB SO
Alex Trautman 4.00 23 15 14 0 8
Herts Dodgers            
Alexander Deacon 2.33 10 7 7 0 5
Theo Longboy 1.67 13 9 8 0 1

  

GAME 2

Herts Giants at HOME Opponent
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Herts Giants 1 1 0 4 3 9 16 0
HOME Opponent 1 3 0 0 0 4 10 2
Herts Giants 9, HOME Opponent 4
Herts Giants HOME Opponent
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Beau Mack-Rehnsi 3b 4 3 3 1 H Player 1 p 3 2 2 1
James Roberts 1b 4 1 2 2 H Player 2 2b 3 0 0 0
Joshua Jones c 4 0 1 1 H Player 3 1b 3 0 3 1
Matt Cowler cf 4 1 4 2 H Player 4 lf 3 0 2 2
Christian Lynch lf 4 0 1 1 H Player 5 c 3 0 0 0
Jamie Brener ss 3 0 0 0 H Player 6 ss 3 0 0 0
Ryan Reynolds 2b 3 2 2 0 H Player 7 3b 3 0 1 0
Lewis Auchterlounie p 3 1 2 0 H Player 8 cf 2 1 1 0
Alex Trautman rf 3 1 1 0 H Player 9 rf 2 1 1 0
TEAM TOTALS 32 9 16 7 TEAM TOTALS 25 4 10 4
E: H Player 1, H Player 2. LOB: HOME Opponent 6, Herts Giants 8. 2B: Matt Cowler(3),
Beau Mack-Rehnsi.
Herts Giants IP H R ER BB SO
Lewis Auchterlounie 5.00 10 4 4 0 11
HOME Opponent            
H Player 1 5.00 16 9 6 0 5
T: 1:20. A: 78.