Category: Headlines

by AspiDimitrov

HORSHAM MUSTANGS AND HERTS EAGLES CLINCH FUTURES TOURNAMENT TITLES

 

Moments before the final out and a 2010 Herts Futures Tournament title for the Herts Eagles (photo by Ward Davis)

 

The Horsham Mustangs and the Herts Eagles were the winners in the 2010 Herts Futures Tournament Minors (Under-11) and Majors (Under-14) Divisions, respectively.

 

The competition was held at Grovehill Ballpark which seems to be getting bigger and better with each year of the Herts Futures Tournament.  All the games were staged at the brand new diamond which didn’t exist a year ago.

 

 

The Horsham Mustangs keep showing that they are a very promising group of talented

players and it would be interesting to see how far they can go in the coming years. (photo by Ward Davis)

 

In the Minors Division (Under-11 age group), the battle was between the Horsham Mustangs and the Herts Hawks in a best-of-3 series.  The Horsham youngsters proved to be the better team on the day.  They took the first game 12-1.  In the second game Herts put up a brave fight but once again Horsham showed their superiority with a 12-5 win.  Last year the Horsham Under-11 team reached the final but lost in dramatic fashion, so it was good to see the same players who were heartbroken last year to come back and clinch the title this time around.

 

 

In the Majors Division the Herts Eagles produced a flawless performance to push aside all of their opponents and to become the 2010 champions.  It went down to the final game of the day when they faced the Horsham Broncos, who were the Herts Futures Champions in the inaugural edition of this event back in 2008. Horsham took an early 3-0 lead but the Herts Eagles kept their cool and came back to win it 7-3 confirming them as the 2010 Champions.

 

 

Brodie Caress made the play of the day with a diving stop at second base to get his brother Jake Caress

out at first base in a titanic clash between the Herts Eagles and the Herts Falcons. (photo by Ward Davis)

 

This was the first time in the history of the Herts Futures Tournament that a Herts team wins it, but even more satisfying for the Herts coaching staff was the fact that they managed to do so by fielding two Under-14 teams of equal strength and they didn’t feel the need to load one team with star players to clinch the title. This shows real progress and depth in the club’s youth programme at Under-14 level.  Can the club continue its tremendous progress by achieving the same strength at the Under-11 level next year?

 

more photos by Ward Davis from the 2010 Herts Futures Tournament.

 

 

The 2010 Herts Futures Tournament was organised with the support of:

 

 

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.

by AspiDimitrov

SEMI-FINAL WIN FOR HERTS SETS STAGE FOR TITANIC CLASH WITH LONDON METS FOR THE TITLE

Herts All Stars – with the 2010 title in their sights.

The Herts All-Stars maintained their unbeaten record this year with a win against the Halton Polecats in the Semi-Final of the 2010 National Youth Baseball Championships.

 

This is the second successive year that the Herts All-Stars reach the showpiece event where the top four teams in the country battle it out for the championship. This year the event was held at John Mills Ballpark, which is the home of Halton Baseball Club. The venue was prepared immaculately by the hosts and the stage was set for two days of top class British youth baseball.

 

All hotels in the Runcorn and Warrington area were packed as teams and fans descended on Halton. The Herts travelling contingent had filled one of the hotels in Warrington to capacity and observers could easily have concluded that Herts are the home team based on the number of Herts supporters making the long trip to Merseyside.

 

Herts and Halton had met once before in their history and it was once again at the semi-final stage of the Championships 12 months ago. Herts were the winners on that occasion but it was a nail-biting win which had to be decided in extra innings.  A lot can change in youth baseball over 12 months so it was difficult to predict who had the upper hand ahead of this game.

 

The Herts All-Stars got the start they wanted in the top of the first inning when Marty Cullen Jr launched a 2-out solo home run over the right field wall. Herts extended their lead with five runs in the second inning. This included a towering one-run double from Brodie Caress which dropped just short of the outfield fence. Jesse Reinebold, Jonny Compton Weight and Mikito Ariga added more pressure with hits of their own to drive in the other four runs, including Kieran Manning who worked the walk to get on base.

 

After this Halton settled down defensively and allowed only one more Herts run to come in with Carlos Casal Jr taking advantage of a wild pitch to come slide home and extended the lead to 7-0.

 

Starting on the mound for Herts was Nick Martinez. He produced yet another outstanding performance allowing only 2 hits over 5.1 innings striking out 12 batters.

 

Most teams would struggle to lift themselves with a 7-run deficit, but credit has to be given to Halton Polecats who went into the bottom of the final inning with a lot of determination. They loaded the bases and managed to get two runs in.

 

In came the All-Stars closer, Marty Cullen Jr, needing one more out to put his team into the Final. Despite the pressure of having the bases loaded on a catcher’s interference and the tying run waiting on deck, Cullen Jr executed with precision to strike out Halton’s final batter.

 

In the second semi-final, reigning champions, London Mets, won comfortably against the Manchester Saints. This set up a London Mets vs Herts All-Stars final in a repeat of last year’s unforgettable final. Can the Herts All-Stars gain sweet revenge over their arch-rivals? After heavy rain in Merseyside all games on Sunday were postponed so everyone is left on the edge of their seats awaiting the decision from the British Baseball Federation about the date when the games will be played for the crowning of the 2010 British Champions.

 

The Herts Baseball Newswire will keep you up-to date with all the news. Stay tuned.

 

Photos by Ward Davis. More images from the event can be viewed here.

 

 

by AspiDimitrov

TWO ERROR-FREE ONE-HIT SHUTOUTS AND HERTS ARE THROUGH TO THE NATIONAL FINALS

The Herts All-Stars sent a clear message to the rest of the country with two convincing wins in the National Youth Baseball Playoffs. They will be making the trip up the M1 motorway to Halton next week for the National Youth Baseball Championships (NBC) as one of the four best teams in Great Britain.

 

The postseason for the Herts All-Stars started with a game against the Bracknell Broncos.  They jumped into an early lead scoring 10 runs in the first two innings.  On the mound for them Jesse Reinebold, Nick Martinez and Zack Longboy combined for a one-hitter, allowing only one walk in the process.  Charlie Mayhew ended the game with a spectacular leaping catch in right field and so with a final score of 10-0 the boys from Hertfordshire were over the first playoff hurdle.

 

Next up were the Essex RedBacks and Herts once again put their opponents on the back foot from the start.  Leadoff batter Carlos Casal was the first to cross home plate.  First baseman Richard Ganster then drove in Mikito Ariga and Nick Martinez with a triple.  Jesse Reinebold rounded off the inning with a single to bring a fourth Herts run home in the opening inning. Reinebold then took the mound in the bottom of the inning retiring the side in order.  Herts piled on the pressure with three more runs in the second inning on back-to-back-to-back hits by Mikito Ariga, Nick Martinez and Richard Ganster.  Ganster proved to be the most productive hitter for Herts with an impressive line over the two games in which he almost hit for the cycle (3-for-4, 2B 3B, 5 RBIs, 4 Runs).

 

Four more runs came home in the fourth and one in the sixth inning for Herts.  At the same time starting pitcher Reinebold and reliever Marty Cullen Jr were outstanding on the mound.  They were backed up by solid defensive plays every step of the way.

 

Over the two games the Herts defense did not commit a single error. Their four pitchers did not allow any runs, struck out 22 batters, allowing only 2 hits and 2 walks. 

 

The second team to reach next week’s Youth National Championships from the Southern Conference is the reigning champion London Mets.  The two Northern representatives are the host Halton Polecats and the Manchester Saints.  The Youth NBC will start with semi-finals on Saturday, 18 September, the winners of which will meet in the final on Sunday to determine the new British Champions.

 

Fans of Herts Baseball Club who are not travelling for the event can track the action pitch-by-pitch live via the internet here.

 

For more images from today’s playoffs, click here.

 

Photos by Ward Davis.

 

BOX SCORES – HERTS vs BRACKNELL (Under-14 National Playoffs)

 

Bracknell Broncos at Herts All-Stars
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 R H E
Bracknell Broncos 0 0 0 0 0 1 4
Herts All-Stars 5 5 0 0 10 3 0

Herts All-Stars 10, Bracknell Broncos 0
Herts All-Stars Bracknell Broncos
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Carlos Casal Jr 2b 2 0 0 0 V Player 1 p-1b 2 0 0 0
Nick Martinez ss-p 2 1 0 0 V Player 2 c 2 0 0 0
(t3) Zack Longboy p-rf 0 0 0 0 V Player 3 1b-p 2 0 1 0
Marty Cullen Jr c 0 2 0 0 V Player 4 2b 2 0 0 0
Richard Ganster 3b 2 2 1 1 V Player 5 3b 1 0 0 0
Jesse Reinebold p-ss 0 2 0 0 V Player 6 ss 1 0 0 0
Kyle Lloyd-Jones cf 2 1 1 1 V Player 7 lf 0 0 0 0
Lewis Green lf 2 0 0 0 V Player 8 cf 1 0 0 0
Charlie Mayhew rf 0 1 0 0 V Player 9 rf 1 0 0 0
Jonny Compton-Weight 1b 2 1 1 0          
TEAM TOTALS 12 10 3 2 TEAM TOTALS 12 0 1 0
E: V Player 4(2), V Player 2, V Player 7. LOB: Bracknell Broncos 1, Herts All-Stars
2. SB: V Player 7. CS: Charlie Mayhew, V Player 3.
Herts All-Stars IP H R ER BB SO
Zack Longboy 1.67 1 0 0 0 1
Jesse Reinebold W 1.33 0 0 0 0 4
Nick Martinez 1.00 0 0 0 1 3
Bracknell Broncos            
V Player 3 1.67 2 6 1 3 0
V Player 1 L 0.33 1 4 0 1 1
HBP: by V Player 3 (Marty Cullen Jr). , by V Player 3 (Marty Cullen Jr). . . WP: V
Player 3(5), V Player 1(2). T: 1:20. A: 89.

BOX SCORES – HERTS @ ESSEX (Under-14 National Playoffs)

Herts All-Stars at Essex RedBacks
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
Herts All-Stars 4 3 0 4 0 1 12 7 0
Essex RedBacks 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 4

Herts All-Stars 12, Essex RedBacks 0
Herts All-Stars Essex RedBacks
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Carlos Casal Jr 2b 3 2 0 0 S Andrew p-1b 3 0 0 0
Mikito Ariga 3b 4 3 1 0 M Laen-Gay cf-ss 2 0 1 0
Nick Martinez ss 3 3 1 1 T Barnes 1b-c 2 0 0 0
Richard Ganster 1b-c 2 3 2 4 S Meikle ss-p-1b 2 0 0 0
Marty Cullen Jr c-p 4 0 1 1 S Yuille rf 0 0 0 0
Jesse Reinebold p 2 0 1 1 (b4) Weston rf 1 0 0 0
(b5) Jonny Compton-Weight 1b 0 0 0 0 C Brown 3b 2 0 0 0
Jose Morillo rf 2 0 0 0 A Roofe 2b 2 0 0 0
(t4) Lewis Green pr-rf-lf 1 1 0 0 R Pavelin cf-c 2 0 0 0
Brodie Caress cf 2 0 1 1 M Asher lf 2 0 0 0
Zack Longboy lf 2 0 0 0          
(b5) Kieran Manning rf 1 0 0 0          
TEAM TOTALS 26 12 7 8 TEAM TOTALS 18 0 1 0
E: A Roofe(2), T Barnes, S Yuille. DP: Herts All-Stars 1. LOB: Essex RedBacks 1,
Herts All-Stars 7. 2B: Mikito Ariga, Richard Ganster. 3B: Richard Ganster. SB: Nick
Martinez, Jesse Reinebold, Lewis Green. CS: Zack Longboy.
Herts All-Stars IP H R ER BB SO
Jesse Reinebold W 4.00 1 0 0 1 8
Marty Cullen Jr 2.00 0 0 0 0 6
Essex RedBacks            
S Andrew L 3.00 6 7 5 4 6
S Meikle 3.00 1 5 1 6 4
HBP: by S Meikle (Jose Morillo). . . WP: Jesse Reinebold, S Andrew(2), S Meikle(2).
PB: T Barnes(2), R Pavelin. T: 1:35. A: 105.

 

 

by AspiDimitrov

WEIGHT OF EXPECTATION ON YOUNG HERTS SHOULDERS

The Herts All-Stars will return to Finsbury Park 12 months after

missing out on the trophy in an epic 1-0 Final vs the London Mets.

Almost 12 months have passed since the Herts All-Stars lost 1-0 in the National Under-14 Final against rivals London Mets in heart-breaking fashion.  The Herts youngsters are a year older, stronger and they have been waiting for this. The club’s four senior teams came short in the hunt for silverware this season so the hopes of everyone connected with Herts Baseball Club rest on the young shoulders of the Herts All Stars.

Images from last year’s Finals – the Herts All-Stars are now a year older, stronger…and they are searching for gold.

Like last year they will need to go through a series of postseason playoff games in order to get to the final. Once again there will be no room for error in these knockout games. It commences this Saturday, 11 September, at Finsbury Park, the home of the London Mets. They go into this Saturday’s playoffs with a regular season record of 6 wins and no losses, but they are yet to face the big guns in the competition.

The Herts All-Stars can once again count on the best

fans in the country supporting them every step of the way.

Their first opponents will be the Bracknell Broncos. The two teams met earlier in the season with Herts coming on top, but, as they say, the form book goes out of the window in the playoffs. If Herts can overcome Bracknell, they will meet the losers of the London Mets vs Forest Glade RedBacks game. The winner of that second game will go through to the National Youth Championships which will be held in Halton on 18 and 19 September 2010.

 

SCHEDULE

11am – Game 1, #2 Forest Glade @ #1 London; winner qualifies for NYBC

11am – Game 2, #4 Bracknell @ #3 Herts All Stars; loser eliminated

2pm – Game 3, winner game 2 @ loser game 1; winner qualifies for NYBC

2pm – Game 4, winner game 1 @ loser game 2; consolation

Map and Directions

by AspiDimitrov

SOUTHERN YOUTH QUALIFIERS TO BE PLAYED THIS WEEKEND

This article was first published on www.britishbaseball.org

 

BBF Southern youth teams will be taking part in tournaments this Saturday and Sunday to determine the Conference’s qualifiers for the National Youth Baseball Championships, to be played on September 18-19 at Halton.

 

BRONCO QUALIFIERS

On Saturday, September 11 at Finsbury Park in London, four Bronco teams will play off to fill two berths at the National Championships.  In Game 1, Forest Glade Redbacks, the #2 seed, will face #1 ranked London Mets and the winner will qualify as the Southern Conference #1 seed.  

 

Game 2 will be between the #3 and #4 seeds, Herts All Stars and Bracknell Bronco, and the winner of that game will play the loser of Game 1 to decide the second qualifier for the National Youth Baseball Championships.

 

Game 4 will be a consolation game for the losers of Game 2, who will play the qualifier from Game 1.

 

The tournament will take place on two fields and will start at 11.00 am.

 

PONY QUALIFIERS

 

SATURDAY

A three-way Pony tournament will be hosted by the Essex Redbacks at Chelmsford on Saturday to decide one Conference qualifier for the Pony NYBC. In Game 1, Conference #5 seed Essex Redbacks will take on #3 seed London Mets and the loser of that game will face #2 seed Horsham Hornets.  The final game will see the Hornets take on the winners of Game 1.   If one team wins both its games they will qualify for the Youth Championships. If all three teams win one game each, then average runs conceded per inning played will be the factor in deciding the qualifying team.

 

The tournament will begin at 10am.

 

SUNDAY

On Sunday, the Pony playoffs will be completed at ACS Cobham where the hosting #1 seed Cobham Cougars will play #4 seed Bracknell Tornadoes in a doubleheader starting at noon to decide the second Southern Conference Pony qualifying place. If the doubleheader is split, a sudden death, single-inning game (extended if the score is tied) will be used to determine the winner.

 

PITCHING AND RUN RESTRICTIONS

Pitching at the tournaments will be controlled by the same restrictions used in Little League.

If a pitcher throws more than 20 pitches in a game they cannot pitch again in a subsequent game. Pitchers are also limited on pitch-count depending on their age: 9-10-year-olds can throw 75 pitches maximum, 11-13-year-olds 85 pitches and 15-16 year olds 95 pitches. If a pitcher hits his pitch count during an at-bat, he is permitted to complete the at-bat. After consultation with Conference teams, the rule that restricts a team to scoring a maximum of five runs per inning will not be used during the playoff tournaments. However, mercy rules — 20 runs after 4 innings (or 3-1/2 if the home team leads) and 15 after 5 (or 4-1/2 if the home team leads) — will be in place.

by AspiDimitrov

BUY ME SOME PEANUTS…

Herts Baseball correspondent, Rob Jones, looks back at last weekend’s celebration of British baseball

It was yet another piece of history for Herts baseball — the first ever National Baseball Championships to be held at Grovehill ballpark in Hemel Hempstead. Has any  sort of national championships ever been held in Hemel? I honestly don’t know, but I have to confess to a frisson of excitement as I first pulled up at the venue on Saturday to see crowds, tents and people stretching across the playing fields. This was baseball coming to our home. And here are some of the sights, sounds and smells …

First of all — there was great baseball. There were home runs a-plenty. Most of the action I saw was on the Grove, our oldest field, and balls kept plopping over the fence from the new diamond with regularity. The purist might not love it, but the long ball has helped give the game its vigour in the past decade, and it’s fun to see at the British amateur level. There were games which lived up to the occasion. The clash between Bracknell and London for a place in the NBL final was truly epic, going ten innings before the then-defending champions were able to inch ahead and claim a place in the final. The MK Bucks and Guildford Mavericks were locked at 3-3 going into the final inning of the single-A final, before the Bucks pulled clear. There was great pitching — for example, from Richmond’s Cody Cain, who claimed MVP honours with 12 strikeouts in the NBL final — and great fielding, including a sliding catch I saw Herts’ own Mahendra Prasad make in the shallow outfield.

Richmond Knights’ John Irving looking for his helmet after what could have been an embarassing blooper

Of course, things do not always go smoothly for even the best baseball players. A Richmond Knights base-runner nearly suffered an embarrassing moment as his side took on Leicester for the AA title. He was poised on second base when a team-mate struck out. Everyone thought it was the final out of the inning and started for the dugouts — including the runner, who was almost at third base when the catcher suddenly realised in fact there were only two outs. He seized on the ball, and the runner swivelled, losing his helmet in the process and frantically diving back to second. Fortunately for him the second baseman had also thought the inning was over, so he was not there to claim the strangest put-out of his career!

  

MK Bucks ace pitcher Tom Lloyd retrieving his cap

All these games had proper umpires, but it did not seem to prevent arguments about calls, or about the rules. The balk, for example, is a strange thing. Sometimes it can be really obvious. But once you get beyond those few cases, it seems remarkably subjective. The Eagles’ Louis Hare — who pitched tremendously in two games — was called for a balk in the decisive match-up against the Oxford Kings. It sparked much heated debate. The umpire explained to me that he had not stepped clearly enough towards first base, and was therefore deceiving the runner. But players insisted it was a move Hare had used all season with no problems, and being called for it meant Oxford were able to steal freely. During his game, the MK Bucks pitcher Tommy Lloyd knocked his own cap off during his motion. This, too, sparked a debate — mostly good natured — about whether that should be called a balk. What could be more distracting to the batter than a flying object right in his line of sight? But can a pitcher really deliberately knock off his own hat, and still deliver a pitch? It was a trademark “trick” of the once-notorious Yankees pitcher and diarist, Jim Bouton. Lloyd got the benefit of the doubt. And retrieved his hat.

Herts Eagles Manager, Lee Manning, in discussion with umpires

There was passion on display, and the questionable calls led to the most vivid displays of it — ejections. Bracknell’s manager Rob Rance was ejected from a game for arguing calls with the home plate umpire. He said that the incident had perhaps put “fire in the belly” of his team. But when the Herts Eagles manager, Lee Manning, was ejected in their semi-final against Oxford Kings, it had the opposite effect. In discussions about a controversial interference call, Manning was tossed for apparently asking one too many questions, even though the often combative manager had seemed calm and reasonable. Both teams left the field while the discussions continued and the Eagles rhythm was clearly disrupted. They scored no more runs, gave up several, and made mistakes on the bases. I have great respect for what umpires and refs try to do, but there’s no denying that controversial calls can turn a game.

The Herts fans on the egde of their seats during the AAA League semi-final clash versus Oxford

The big stars of the weekend were the fans and families who turned out to add a buzz to the event. People had come along with tents, garden chairs, and video cameras. There were grandparents, little leaguers, toddlers and babes in arms. My own two boys, who have always shown scant interest in baseball, enjoyed their time at the NBC. After some prompting they shouted “Come on Jon”, and “Go Eagles”, and waved our home-made sponge finger. And when they had finished that, they ran around chasing footballs and baseballs and toy Transfomers, and having a fine time.

Enjoying the hot dogs at Grovehill Ballpark

If I am talking about the overall atmosphere, I have to address the crowning glory of the weekend — the food! The ubiquitous hot dogs were enormous, tasty, sensibly priced and happily devoured by my own two kids. And they were supplemented by a more exotic sandwich — pulled pork. When I first saw this on the adverts for the event I wondered what on earth it was all about and had to Google the answer. When I finally got to eat one for my Sunday lunch it all made sense! A masterpiece of rich meat and tangy sauce which made my weekend experience even better. Compliments to the chefs.

Baseball, like so much that is good in life, is about more than just the result. It is about the endeavour, the humour, the colours and sounds, and the drama. There was plenty of that this weekend. While the club was certainly disappointed not to end up with a team claiming a title, it should be proud of the way it hosted a national event. It was so good I would be happy to come back next year … but there had better be pulled pork!

by AspiDimitrov

EAGLES DREAM ENDED BY MEN IN BLUE

The Herts Eagles flew close to the blazing sun of national glory on Sunday — but were finally overcome by the eventual victors, the Oxford Kings, and by controversial umpiring. They were representing Herts baseball club as it hosted the National Finals for the first time ever. And hopes were high as the Eagles had been the club's most successful adult team, posting an 18-6 league record.

They lost their first match of the weekend 4-0 to the Liverpool Trojans, the champions of AAA in the north. The Eagles were let down by fielding errors — and only managed hits from Jon Lewys, and starting pitcher Darrin Ward. They also complained of some questionable umpiring. But they still had a second game to play. This was now do or die — they had to overcome Bracknell Inferno to survive, and were buoyed by the fact that they beaten them in a previous playoff round. The game started out as a tight contest, each team edging a run here and there, but Herts pitching was more disciplined and on more than one occasion the Eagles stranded base runners just as they were threatening to break out. In the sixth, Paul Auchterlounie scored on a pass ball to take a 4-2 lead, and that insurance run seemed to relax they Eagles. Finally, they racked up the score they had threatened all game — four runs crossed the plate in the seventh, leading to an 8-2 victory.

So, early Sunday morning, the Eagles took on the Oxford Kings for the right to face Liverpool in the final. The positive mood from the previous night's triumph was still evident, and it looked as if the Eagles would meet their destiny. Five runs in the second inning powered them into the lead. But soon after that, disaster would strike. With two men out in the fourth, but two base runners on, the Eagles manager Lee Manning hit an infield chopper. Louis Hare, running from second to third base, jumped out of the way of the ball and it was fielded neatly by the Oxford shortstop. His throw to first was just a little off target, and that meant the batter was safe and the two runners scored. Eagles had extended their lead.

Or so it seemed.

The umpire then declared that Hare was out for interference, ending the inning, and erasing both his and the preceding run. Manning went to ask for more details and to argue his case, but after a few moments he was ejected. The entire ball game was then put into dispute, and both teams left the field for what felt like an eternity while the decision was discussed. It was all to no avail, as no decision was reversed. The disappointment and sense of robbery clearly disrupted the Eagles. They gave away three runs, then two, then two more to finally go down 8-5.

The players were sad that such an excellent season ended in such a messy way. Most felt cheated, and robbed, though they wished their Oxford rivals all the best for the final. But as the gloom lifted the Eagles were justifiably proud of what they had done all year – which included two victories against those champion Oxford Kings. The Herts team will pose a serious threat to all their rivals next year.

by AspiDimitrov

FORMER GB BASEBALL STAR RECEIVES A CALL-UP TO THE NEW YORK METS

This article was first published on www.britishbaseball.org

 

 

Former GB Baseball star Mike Nickeas joined the New York Mets on Thursday, September 2, as part of the roster expansion that takes place for Major League teams each September.

 

The 27-year-old catcher began the year at the Mets’ AA farm team in Binghamton, New York, where he hit .283 and was promoted to AAA Buffalo in August. With Buffalo, he collected six hits in seven games.

 

To make room for Nickeas on the 40-man September roster, the Mets transferred John Maine to the 60-day disabled list. Maine underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in July.

 

Nickeas will provide some insurance for Mets’ starting catcher Josh Thole and backup Henry Blanco.

 

Mike Nickeas was a key player for the GB Baseball Team at the 2007 European Championships in Barcelona, where GB won the Silver Medal. He was not able to play in the IBAF World Cup last September or in this summer’s European Championships due to his commitment to the Mets.

by AspiDimitrov

RICHMOND ARE 2010 CHAMPIONS. EAGLES PICK UP BRONZE IN THE AAA-LEAGUE

This article was first published on www.britishbaseball.org

RICHMOND FLAMES ARE NATIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE CHAMPIONS FOR 2010
by BSUK Special Correspondent Simon Fitzjohn
 
 
Richmond Flames won their first national title since 2006 when they defeated Bracknell Blazers in the final at the National Baseball Championships played at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead over the weekend of September 4-5.
 
The London Mets and Southampton Mustangs, the other National League teams to qualify for the Championships, had bowed out earlier in the weekend.
 
Aside from the main NBL action, there were three other National Championship titles up for grabs, with the Oxford Kings taking AAA honours, the Richmond Knights earning the AA title and the MK Bucks winning the Single A championship.

 
Herts Baseball Club hosted the 2010 National Baseball Championships at their picturesque two-diamond venue in Hemel Hempstead (photo by www.hp2photographic.com)

NATIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE
SATURDAY
It was a day of surprises as the Richmond Flames, who finished third in the National Baseball League regular season standings, advanced straight to Sunday's final by dumping both the London Mets and Bracknell Blazers.
 
Both Bracknell and the Mets eased past Southampton on Saturday, eliminating the Mustangs in the process and setting up a winner-takes-all semi-final showdown on Sunday.

 
The NBC got off to an entertaining start as Richmond disposed of Bracknell by a score of 6-3. The Flames jumped out to an early lead, and with a strong pitching display from Ryan Bird, held on despite a Bracknell rally. Cody Cain clubbed a home run for Richmond, and Michael Osborn slapped a two-run single to pace their offence. For the Blazers, Reiniel Martinez was the tough-luck loser, giving up four runs in six innings of work, while Henry Collins singled in their only earned run.
 
There was no such surprise in Game Two, as the London Mets cruised past the underdog Mustangs by 8-2. Southampton actually took the lead in the top of the second inning thanks to a Ben Davis RBI, but that merely stunned the league leaders into action. With Alberto Casciello, Dan Williams and Alex Pike all contributing two RBIs each, London moved into a 7-2 lead after three innings and never looked back. Reid Wilson pitched the first known top-tier postseason no-hitter (according to the GBBSA archives dating back to 1994), which was a complete game win for the Mets.  Mustangs pitchers Chuck Truelson, Lee Ralph and Dave Wrigley each had two innings of work, and each were hit around by the mighty London offense.  Wilson's no-hitter was achieved despite throwing nine walks!
 
In the second round of Saturday games the Flames tangled with the Mets, with London expected to move to the final by disposing of Richmond. But the Flames jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, and with Michael Osborn pitching a gem they continued to keep the Mets at bay. Carlos Manchino went 3-for-4 for Richmond, launching a home run in the process as the Flames kept picking away at London starter Bryan Anderson. The Flames scored runs in five of the seven innings to earn a fully-deserved 8-2 verdict.

 

  
Cody Cain was the 2010 National League MVP, striking out 12 in his complete-game victory over Bracknell (photo by www.event-photos.co.uk)

 With Richmond and London having advanced, the final game of Saturday was a do-or-die struggle as Bracknell clashed with Southampton with the losers set for an early exit. The game began as a pitching duel between Matt Maitland and Gary Davison and was tied at 1-1 after four innings. But Bracknell broke through late on, scoring six runs in the final innings thanks to home runs from Mike Trask, Ryan Trask and Matt Maitland as they finally prevailed by a score of 7-3. 
photo by www.event-photos.co.uk
SUNDAY
The NBL's top two sides as far as the league standings were concerned opened Sunday's action as Bracknell and London met with a final spot open for the winner and a hasty exit for the loser.

And befitting the occasion, the teams produced a thrilling contest, which required ten innings to find a victor.

The Blazers got off to a fast start, scoring two runs in the top of the first, thanks in part to a Mike Trask triple that drove in Leo Nogami. But the Mets responded with four runs of their own in the bottom of the frame, with a two-run throwing error from Ryan Trask aiding their cause.

Both sides began to settle down after that, but Ryan Trask got Bracknell back on the board in the top of the third with a two-run blast, only for the Mets to respond with two runs of their own in the bottom of the inning, pitcher Jason Roberts stroking an RBI double.

Back and forth the game went, with Jason Roberts and Henry Collins matching each other pitch for pitch. And once again the Blazers hauled themselves level at 6-6 in the top of the sixth, scoring two runs triggered by Ed Jeffrey's RBI double.

And it was Jeffrey at it again in the top of the seventh, beating out an RBI single on a bang-bang play at first base to put Bracknell ahead by a score of 7-6.

So Bracknell had the lead, but Henry Collins couldn't close out the game and Jonathon Cramman lifted a sacrifice fly to the outfield to score Dan Williams with the tying run.

On to extra innings it went, with both pitchers continuing to produce the goods on the mound.

It was the tenth inning before there was any further scoring and it was Ed Jeffrey once more, smashing a solo home run to deep centre field to take the score to 8-7 in Bracknell's favour.

This time Collins was able to hold the lead, striking out the Mets' Will Lintern to end the game.

Bracknell coach Rob Rance – ejected mid-game for arguing with the home plate umpire – said: “We certainly did it the hard way. But to be honest I do not think these guys know any other way. We were a little bit flat and I got a little bit upset, but I hope my ejection put a bit of fire in their belly.

“There are no real words to describe what Henry did on the mound for us,” Rance continued. “He is a real machine and he pulled us through when we needed it.”

Alex Pike, the dejected London Mets coach, said: “It is bitterly disappointing to not even make the final, but the fact that we went down fighting takes away some of the bitterness. We really wanted it today and I think that performance showed it. We had opportunities, but we left far too many people on base and that killed us.

“Obviously we came here thinking we could win,” Pike added, “but baseball is a funny game and today showed how unpredictable it can be.”
photo by www.event-photos.co.uk

THE FINAL
So after two days of thrilling action, the Flames met the Blazers in the final, with Cody Cain and Brendan Cunliffe facing off on the mound.
 
Bracknell were looking to secure back-to-back titles, while Richmond were seeking their first championship since 2006.
 
Richmond had a great chance to take an early lead when Cain launched a deep fly ball in the bottom of the first inning, but Bracknell centre fielder Mike Traskmade a superb throw to the plate to nail Rob Unsell.
 
Both sides were relying on strong pitching and defence, with Cain and Cunliffe keeping the scoreboard blank through the first two innings.
 
But a succession of walks allowed the Flames to load the bases in the third, and Ryan Bird laced a two-RBI single to give Richmond the lead.
 
The Blazers immediately ate into that deficit when Ryan Trask doubled home Mike Trask in the fourth inning.
 
The Flames were growing in confidence, though, and they opened up a 4-1 lead with a succession of hits in the bottom of the fourth. With Cody Cain in dominant mood, Bracknell were struggling to get anything going and their exertions earlier in the day seemed to be taking their toll.
 
Richmond moved further ahead as pinch-hitter Chris Cook singled home Grant Delzoppo in the fifth inning, and a wild pitch allowed Richmond to tack on another.
 
With the light fading, the Blazers were unable to make any further impression on the scoreboard, while the Flames helped themselves to four more runs in the sixth inning to run out 10-1 winners.
 
Cody Cain claimed MVP honours after a dominating pitching display that saw him register 12 strikeouts.
 
Victorious coach Grant Delzoppo said: “It feels great. London and Bracknell have been the form teams all year so to come through as underdogs was great. We hit form at the right time and doing well on Saturday gave us that extra rest which was important.
 
“We have some older guys here,” Delzoppo continued, “and I think that experience pulled us through. We had some great pitching, especially from Cody, and we are absolutely delighted to be back on top.”
 
Bracknell coach Rob Rance said: “I think the London game pretty much killed us and the final was a game too far. We were carrying a couple of injuries and that really hurt us.
 

 “But we should not be too disappointed,” Rance concluded. “We have had the best regular season in our history and if we had come through again and did what we did last year it would have been amazing.” 
photo by www.event-photos.co.uk
AAA LEAGUE
SATURDAY
 
The Liverpool Trojans made themselves the team to beat with two wins on Saturday based on fundamentally sound baseball, easing past both the Herts Eagles and Oxford Kings with a combination of strong pitching and timely hitting.
 
The Kings and Eagles were also to advance to Sunday's sudden-death showdown after both sides saw off the Bracknell Inferno.
 
In the first game of the day, Martin Godsall pitched a beauty for the Trojans as they dispatched the Herts Eagles 4-0. Godsall tossed seven shutout innings, giving up just two hits.
 
To his credit, Darrin Ward also pitched well for the Eagles, allowing just four hits and two earned runs.
 
Having scored a run in the first, the third inning proved decisive as Liverpool tacked on two runs to open up what proved to be a match-winning lead. Harry Wrenproved to be the offensive difference as far as the Trojans were concerned, claiming two RBIs with a single and a sacrifice fly.
 
Game Two was the exact opposite, a run-fest, as Oxford squeezed by Bracknell 11-10.
 
The Kings broke out to a 6-2 lead early on, feasting on Leigh Coke's pitching.
But the Inferno kept chipping away, with Shayne Wagner going 4-for-4 at the plate with four RBIs.
 
Bracknell struck four times in the top of the sixth inning, chasing Oxford starter Masaharu Egawa, and when the Inferno added a run in the top of the seventh inning, they actually had the lead.
 
But there was one final twist, as Oxford scored twice in the bottom of the frame for a thrilling win.
 
Oxford were obviously drained by their efforts in that encounter, and they came unstuck in slipping to a 3-2 defeat to Liverpool in the next game.
 
Once again Martin Godsall produced the goods on the mound, but this time he was matched by Chris Oates, with the score tied at 2-2 after six innings.
 
As in their previous game, a run in the final inning was to prove decisive, but this time it counted against the Kings as the Trojans moved into Sunday's final.
 
The battle of the losing sides saw the Herts Eagles face the Bracknell Inferno, with elimination the price for the defeated team.
 
Both sides struck early, with the score 3-2 to the Eagles after three innings.  Pitchers Louis Hare and Connor Vernon then began to trade zeros as both offences were shut down.
 
But with the scores still tight, relief pitcher Shayne Wagner was victimised to the tune of four runs as the Eagles eventually eased home 8-2.
 
Louis Hare and Jon Lewys were the batting stars for Herts, going 2-for-3 and 2-for-4 respectively.
 
 
SUNDAY
Herts met Oxford in the semi-final showdown, and the Eagles looked on their way to victory when they broke out to an early 5-1 lead, thanks in the main to Darrin Ward's two RBIs.
 
But the Kings piled on the pressure in the middle innings, with Masaharu Egawa, Jorge Pinto Machadoand Chris Oates all starring at the plate. Egawa was 2-for-4 with two RBIs, Pinto Machado 2-for-3 with two RBIs and Oates contributed two sacrifice flies as Oxford stormed back to earn an 8-5 win, eliminating Herts in the process.
 
The Kings moved on to face the Liverpool Trojans in the final, with Chris Oates and Rob Vondy on the mound for their respective sides.
 
Oxford jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the third inning, only for Paul Smith to reply with a two-RBI single.
 
But the Kings broke things open in the fourth inning, scoring 11 runs in an amazing outburst before limiting the Trojans to one run in reply to earn a 13-3 mercy-rule triumph.
 
John Lebreglio was the big hitter for Oxford, going 3-for-4 with three RBIs, while Masaharu Egawa claimed the MVP prize.

 
photo by www.hp2photographic.com
AA LEAGUE
The Leicester Blue Sox tangled with the Richmond Knights in an incredible struggle in the AA League final on Sunday afternoon.
 
Richmond struck early, scoring three times in the bottom of the first inning off Sox pitcher Shannon Henry. But Leicester responded with a mammoth second inning, producing 10 runs and chasing Knights starter Dan Lally.
 
And the runs kept coming, with Leicester tacking on another five to move 15-5 ahead after five innings. There was even the possibility of a mercy-rule finish, but Richmond chipped away with three runs in the sixth and another in the seventh to stay in the contest.
 
Back came the Blue Sox, with Ken Chapman launching a long home run to left field in the eighth inning.
 
And though the Knights added a further three runs in the bottom of that frame, Adam Brown's RBI single padded the Leicester lead to five.
 
Into the ninth and, and Richmond were far from finished. They scored twice and then, with reliever Richard Hu struggling with his command, Nick Osborne smashed a three-run home run to tie the score.
 
So the game went to extra innings and the Blue Sox immediately jumped back in front, bringing home two runs in the top of the tenth.
 
But, amazingly, the Knights came back again and Nick Osborne's two-RBI double in the bottom of the tenth secured a 20-19 triumph for Richmond.
 
Unsurprisingly, Osborne's five RBIs earned him the MVP title.

 
photo by www.event-photos.co.uk
SINGLE-A LEAGUE
The MK Bucks and Guildford Mavericks served up a thriller in Sunday's Single A League final.
 
The two sides matched each other step for step over the first six innings, with the score tied at 3-3 going into the seventh.
 
But after Guildford starter Kevin Zanes departed, reliever Matt Bruce coughed up seven runs in the ninth inning.
 
Ben Alexander laced three RBIs and Jim Kerr added another two, making a winner out of pitcher Tom Lloyd as the Bucks eventually romped to a 10-3 win to claim the title.

 Fittingly, Tom Lloyd was to claim MVP honours for his efforts on the mound.
 

BOX SCORES

For complete box scores from the 2010 National Baseball Championships, please visit:

National Baseball League

http://www.gamechanger.io/g/bbf_nbc_nbl

AAA
http://www.gamechanger.io/g/bbf_nbc_aaa

AA