Category: Headlines

by AspiDimitrov

HERTS AND ESSEX SHARE SPOILS TO SET UP PLAYOFF SHOWDOWN THIS SUNDAY

The Herts Falcons suffered a setback in their mission to reach the National League playoffs.  A spirited fight back by the visiting Essex Arrows in the last inning resulted in a heartbreaking loss for the Falcons. Despite this, a combination of results in the other NBL games and a convincing win in the second game of the day meant that the loss in game one was not as costly as first thought.

 

Having beaten the Arrows in their previous two meetings this season, the Falcons went into the game with confidence but the tension of the postseason race was evident.  Herts took a slender lead early in the game, but the visitors kept in touch with their starting pitcher Matt Gilbert keeping batters off balance by changing speed very effectively.  Herts went into the seventh and final inning with a 3-2 lead and it looked as though starting pitcher Pete Kikel would complete the game with a win after he struck out the lead off batter, Ben Sayer.  A great deal of credit has to be given to the Essex Arrows at that point as they didn’t give up.  Their next two batters got on base after they were both hit by pitches.  A double by the always dangerous Rich Chesterton tied the game.  Up next was Essex’s cleanup batter Matt Gilbert and the Falcons decided to walk him intentionally to load the bases.  Leftfielder Brandon Florence was the next to bat and he drove the ball all the way to the outfield wall to bring in 3 more runs.  In total 5 runs came in and that proved to be too much for the home team to recover from in the bottom of the inning.

 

Stung by that loss, the Falcons came back fighting in the second game.  They took a 14-1 lead in just three innings of play.  Their bats were on fire.  Third baseman Alex Ganster went 4-for-4 driving in 5 runs.  Carlos Casal from Hemel Hempstead and Jason Greenberg had two hits each but the biggest ovation was for shortstop Brandon Deal who launched the ball high over the left-centerfield wall for a 3-run home run.  He was 3-for-3 with 3 RBIs in the game.  He will miss the remaining games of the season as he will be on military duty overseas over the next few weeks, but that was a great way to end his season and send the Falcons on a high going into next week’s do-or-die last game of the season against playoff rivals Mildenhall.

 

After the games Herts Falcons Manager, Jason Greenberg said: “”It was a disappointment that we let game one on Sunday slip through our fingers.  We had a slim one-run lead going into the final frame, but it wasn’t enough to secure the win. But the boys battled back in game two, and I was pleased with the confidence and momentum we found right from the first pitch.  That’s how we need to begin our series against the Bulldogs this Sunday: with the knowledge that we are going to get ahead early, and stay ahead until the final out is made.”

 

With Mildenhall picking up two wins against Southampton, losing game one against Essex has turned out to be not as costly as first thought.  The Herts Falcons will be travelling to RAF Feltwell this Sunday knowing that they must win one of their two games against the Bulldogs to book their place in the playoffs.  If they win both games they would jump over both Mildenhall and Croydon which would give them better seeding in the playoffs.  Losing both games is not an option as that would signal the end of the season for the boys from Hemel Hempstead.

 

images courtesy of www.HP2photographic.com

by AspiDimitrov

OXFORD STAY TOP DESPITE BRAVE EAGLES EFFORT. HAWKS END SEASON ON A HIGH

OXFORD STAY TOP DESPITE BRAVE EAGLES EFFORT

 

While the Falcons were battling in the race for the National League playoffs, their club mates the Herts Eagles were trying to book an automatic place in the AAA National Championships.  This was their final game of the season and they were facing the league-leading Oxford Kings.  The Eagles needed to win both games to claim top spot.  This first versus second match-up didn’t disappoint producing two very competitive and closely fought games. 

 

Oxford came out on top with a 6-3 win in the first, but a 7-4 win for the Herts Eagles in the second means that Oxford still have work to do before they can book their automatic place in the AAA National Championships.  Their last games of the season are this Sunday against the third-placed Bracknell Inferno.  A sweep for Bracknell would allow the Eagles to go above them in first place.

 

HAWKS END SEASON ON A HIGH

 

2010 has been a difficult year in the AA League for the Herts Hawks.  It has been a much stronger league then in previous years with three of the top AAA teams from 2009 choosing to drop down into the AA League, including the Richmond Knights, Poole Piranhas who won their respective AA Divisions.

 

The Hawks had picked up only 3 wins in 16 games before Sunday’s final games of the season.  Their opponents were the Brentwood Stags.  Manager Greg Bochan from St Albans, gave AA League debuts to several members of the Herts Raptors, which is the Single-A affiliate of Herts Baseball Club.  One of the players was Will Belbin (pictured right) who sloted right into the team.

 

This proved to be the teams best results of the year.  In the first game they won convincingly 9-1 and battled hard to clinch game two by a score of 13-11.  Greg Bochan and Jeff Witter (pictured left) were the winning pitchers in game one and two, respectively. This meant that they ended the season in fourth place in their division with a .278 win-loss percentage which is slightly lower than the .350 for the Hawks last year, but it is a very good achievement given the strength of the AA League this season.

 

images courtesy of www.HP2photographic.com

by AspiDimitrov

HERTS IN THE NEWS: EAGLES AND FALCONS HOPING TO FLY HOME FOR SHOWPIECE

The following article was first published in the Hemel Gazette

 

With any luck two Hemel Hempstead-based baseball teams could be back at their Grovehill home for the end-of-season showpiece event.

 

Herts Falcons and the Eagles will hope to be back for the National Senior Baseball Championships (NBC) on September 4 and 5. The club, which just this season completed its second pitch, has been chosen to host the event much to the delight of president Aspi Dimitrov:

“A lot of people have really got involved with the project over the last few years and it’s great the British Baseball Federation have given us the vote of confidence by awarding the event to us. “Hopefully we will not disappoint.”

 

The champions of each of the four leagues will be decided at the championships. The NBL division Falcons, the top team at the club, have an uphill task ahead of them. They have just four games left to earn a place in the qualifying rounds for the finals. Their latest result was a double-header split against Croydon Pirates on Sunday.Falcons lost the first of their away games at Pirates 8-2, but came back in the second to win 11-6. They go up against the Essex Arrows this weekend.

 

The Eagles, meanwhile, are more sure of a spot in the finals, and could by-pass the qualifying round should they finish in top spot come next weekend, when they face league-leaders Oxford Kings. Eagles strolled to two easy victories as they kept up the pressure on the league-leaders on Sunday.The AAA-division side beat the London Metros 15-5 and 11-1, extending their winning streak to nine games. A win this weekend will make sure they finish top of the pile and hence head straight into the final four.

 

“We really want to make sure the Eagles and Falcons make it,” added Aspi, who also plays for the Falcons.

 

Elsewhere on the weekend the AA-League Herts Hawks took on the Windsor Bears but lost 19-9 and 18-8. In the A-League, the Old Timers of north London beat the Raptors for the second time this season.

by AspiDimitrov

HERTS GLOBETROTTERS

Apart from reporting on the Herts adult and youth teams, the Herts Baseball Newswire also keeps Herts fans updated on news from overseas related to Herts Baseball Club.

 

This summer Herts was represented in the European qualifiers for the Little League World Series.  Herts Little Leaguer, Mikito Ariga, was selected to play for team England.  The games were played at the baseball complex in Kutno, Poland.  Despite a difficult start losing to Italy (L0-10), England bounced back with wins over Lithuania (W7-1), Belgium (W7-3) and Poland (W10-0).  Mikito’s team rounded up their group stage schedule with a loss to the Netherlands (L5-4).  England’s 3-2 record placed them third in the group standings and they qualified for the next stage where they beat Ukraine 10-0.  This took them to the Semi-Finals where they once again faced Italy and once again the Italians came out on top (L2-9).  England came very close indeed to qualifying for the World Series and potential live coverage on ESPN, but it wasn’t to be. 

 

Mikito and his family have now returned and are getting ready for another exciting postseason with the Herts All-Stars next month.  Mikito was a member of the 2009 Herts All-Stars who produced the incredible run of 5 consecutive wins to reach the final where they lost 1-0 to the London Mets.

 

Another player representing Herts overseas is Jesse Reinebold.  He and his father, Jonathan, joined the club this year and apart from appearing for the Herts All-Stars Jesse played alongside his father for both the Herts Raptors in the British Single-A League and the Herts Hawks in the AA League.  Jesse is now in America where he is the official bat boy (pictured right at work) for the South Bend Silverhawks, which is the Single-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

 

Like Mikito, Jesse is also scheduled to return in time to join up with the Herts All-Stars in the postseason.

by AspiDimitrov

DRAMATIC COMEBACK WIN KEEPS FALCONS POSTSEASON HOPES ALIVE

Going into the sixth inning and trailing 5-2 the Herts Falcons stunned their playoff rivals Croydon by scoring nine runs in the last two innings of the game.  This incredible comeback keeps the Falcons firmly in the race for the postseason playoffs.

 

The Herts Falcons went into their double-header against the Croydon Pirates knowing that a sweep would put them in pole position for the playoffs, but on the other hand if they were to lose both games, their chances of postseason glory would virtually disappear.  Croydon faced a similar predicament which gave this game a postseason feel.

 

Croydon took the lead in the second inning after a solo homerun by Maikel Azcuy.  Herts came back with two runs of their own in the third inning but Croydon regained the lead again in the bottom of the inning.  Going into the bottom of the fifth with the game finely poised at 3-2 Jose Sosa delivered a devastating blow by driving the ball over the left field wall with the bases loaded for a grand slam.  This took the game beyond the Falcons.

 

This meant that the second game of the double header became “must-win” for the visitors from Hertfordshire.  They started aggressively taking an early lead on an infield single by Marty Cullen which glanced off the glove of the pitcher allowing Luis Goncalves to come home.  Croydon bounced right back and after 5 innings they had a commanding 5-2 lead.  Their lead could have been even bigger if it wasn’t for some incredible defensive plays including a spectacular diving catch by left fielder Marc Martinez.  With only two innings remaining the Falcons produced one of the comebacks of the season.  They first tied the game scoring 3 runs in the sixth which included a 2-run double by Carlos Casal. Falcons starting pitcher, Nic Goetz, was still going strong on the mound and he retired the Pirates quickly in the bottom of the sixth to keep the game tied at 5-5.  In the seventh Herts continued their onslaught.  The offensive pressure was too much for the Pirates to take as six more runs came in. 

 

Despite Croydon putting runners on second and third with nobody out in the final inning, Goetz held on allowing only one run to come in.  That one run may have appeared to be nothing more than a consolation for the Pirates, but it could have huge implications if Croydon and Herts end the regular season with identical win-loss records.  In that situation the League’s tie-break rules would come into effect.  In their head-to-head encounters Croydon and Herts each have 2 wins and 2 losses, which means that the tie would have to be broken by looking at who has conceded the lowest number of runs in the games between Croydon and Herts.  Thanks to that consolation run Croydon would jump above Herts as they have conceded 1 run less than them after Sunday’s epic games.

 

This may prove to be decisive, but at the same time it may actually be a blessing in disguise as the Falcons now know their task very clearly.  They need to win three out of their remaining four games and this would guarantee their place in the playoffs. After their incredible comeback win, the Falcons have the momentum with them.  Next up for them is a home clash with rivals Essex.  Can they do it?

 

Images courtesy of www.HP2photographic.com

 

GAME 1 BOX SCORES

 


Herts Falcons at Croydon Pirates
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Herts Falcons 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 2 2
Croydon Pirates 0 1 0 2 5 0 0 8 5 1

Croydon Pirates 8, Herts Falcons 2
Croydon Pirates Herts Falcons
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
H Player 1 1b 3 1 0 0 GONCALVES Luis ss 3 0 0 0
H Player 2 2b 3 1 0 0 CASAL Carlos 2b 2 0 1 0
H Player 3 cf 3 0 0 0 GREENBERG Jason c 2 0 0 1
H Player 4 3b 2 3 2 1 DEAL Brandon rf 3 0 1 1
H Player 5 ss 3 2 2 5 CULLEN Marty 1b 3 0 0 0
H Player 6 c 3 0 1 1 KIKEL Peter p 3 0 0 0
H Player 7 lf 2 0 0 0 MARTINEZ Marc cf 3 0 0 0
H Player 8 rf 2 0 0 0 DIMITROV Aspi lf 1 1 0 0
H Player 9 p 2 1 0 0 (b6) GANSTER Alex lf-3b 1 0 0 0
GOETZ Nic 3b 1 1 0 0
(b6) SNAVELY Bart 3b-lf 1 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 23 8 5 7 TEAM TOTALS 23 2 2 2
E: H Player 5, CASAL Carlos, KIKEL Peter. DP: Herts Falcons 2. LOB: Croydon Pirates
3, Herts Falcons 4. 2B: H Player 5. HR: H Player 5, H Player 4. SB: H Player 6, H
Player 8. CS: CASAL Carlos.
Croydon Pirates IP H R ER BB SO
SSALI Tim 9 W 7.00 2 2 2 4 5
Herts Falcons            
KIKEL Peter L 6.00 5 8 6 5 3
HBP: by KIKEL Peter (H Player 8). . T: 1:53. A: 39.

GAME 2 BOX SCORES


Herts Falcons at Croydon Pirates
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Herts Falcons 1 0 1 0 0 3 6 11 7 2
Croydon Pirates 1 0 2 2 0 0 1 6 13 6

Herts Falcons 11, Croydon Pirates 6
Herts Falcons Croydon Pirates
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
GONCALVES Luis c 3 3 1 2 H Player 1 1b 4 1 3 0
CASAL Carlos 2b 5 0 1 2 H Player 2 2b 4 0 2 1
GREENBERG Jason dh 1 0 0 0 H Player 3 cf 3 0 0 0
(t5) KIKEL Peter dh 3 0 0 0 (b6) H Sub 1 cf 1 0 1 0
GANSTER Alex 3b 2 0 0 0 H Player 4 3b 4 1 3 1
DEAL Brandon ss 4 2 1 0 (b7) H Sub 2 pr 0 1 0 0
CULLEN Marty 1b 3 2 2 2 H Player 5 p 4 1 2 1
DIMITROV Aspi rf 4 1 0 0 H Player 6 c 4 0 0 0
SNAVELY Bart cf 4 2 1 0 H Player 7 lf 4 0 0 0
MARTINEZ Marc lf 3 1 1 0 H Player 8 rf 3 1 1 1
GOETZ Nic p 0 0 0 0 H Player 9 ss 3 1 1 1
TEAM TOTALS 32 11 7 6 TEAM TOTALS 34 6 13 5
E: GANSTER Alex(2), H Player 5(3), H Player 9(2), H Player 2. LOB: Herts Falcons 7,
Croydon Pirates 8. 2B: CASAL Carlos, H Player 5, H Player 9, H Player 4. SB: DEAL
Brandon(2), GONCALVES Luis, DIMITROV Aspi, MARTINEZ Marc, H Player 5, H Player 8.
Herts Falcons IP H R ER BB SO
GOETZ Nic W 7.00 13 6 5 1 2
Croydon Pirates            
H Player 5 L 7.00 7 11 5 4 4
HBP: by H Player 5 (GREENBERG Jason). . . . , by H Player 5 (GANSTER Alex). , by H
Player 5 (MARTINEZ Marc). . WP: GOETZ Nic, H Player 5(2). T: 2:12. A: 39.

by AspiDimitrov

HERTS RED SOX WIN THE TITLE. DRAMATIC END IN THE BRONZE MEDAL GAME

Herts Baseball Little League correspondent, Tracey Manning, reports on a dramatic final day of the 2010 Herts Little League season.

 

HERTS CUBS 4 HERTS YANKEES 5

The day started off with a few clouds in the sky. Starting pitcher for the Yankees Richard Ganster started strong. Power hitter Nick Martinez hit a triple and followed through to get Cubs first run in the first innings, as Yankees took their turn at the plate, Kieran Manning borrowed from the Cardinals and got the first run. Another Yankee, Charlie Mayhew, followed that up with a double. Cubs pitcher Lewis Green also made a great start. Top of the 2nd Yankees kept the Cubs from getting any further than 1st base. In the bottom of the 2nd inning Brodie Caress (Cubs) caught Kieran Manning (Yankee) fly ball. Another triple hit from Michael James (Yankee) in the 4th. As the game entered the 6th inning McKenna Martinez (Cubs) delivered a game-changing hit and evaded been tagged to get on base. She went on to do some very effective base running. Ultimately it was Aaron Witter who got the winning run and clinch the bronze medal for the Yankees with a final score of 4-5.


There was a vote for player of the game this was voted by all the soggy parents and families and the winner was McKenna Martinez. Well done to her!

CARDINALS 2 RED SOX 13

A few more showers and some lunch later the mighty Red Sox and the awesome Cardinals went head to head to play for the top spot. Cardinals batting first,Zack Longboy(Red Sox) took the mound with a super cool attitude and he did his job well as Cardinals never scored a run in the 1st inning. Kieran Manning tagged out Theo Longboy to stop her making the first run, Cardinals struggled in the 1st innings their usual team who was missing a few key players, this was also true for the rest of the other teams, just didn’t gel too well and let home too many runs.


Slugger Carlos Casal jr came in with the first run for the Cardinals and Drew Mayhew got the other one Cardinals swapped around players to try and find a game play that worked but to no end. They kept on putting players on bases but unable to bring them home. Charlie Mayhew scored the first run for the Redsox and they never looked back . Mikito Ariga, catching for the Red Sox tagged out Carlos Casal jr (Cardinals) with an assist from Red Sox first baseman, Charlie Mayhew. The game ended 13-2 to the Red Sox.


Zack Longboy was named player of the game, but I have to say all the Red Sox players made a huge effort in this final game. Cardinals did their best on the day, but the better team came home to win.

 

More images from the 2010 Herts Little League Finals

 

 


BRONZE MEDAL GAME – BOX SCORES


Herts Cubs at Herts Yankees
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
Herts Cubs 1 0 0 0 0 3 4 8 1
Herts Yankees 2 2 0 0 0 1 5 5 1
Herts Yankees 5, Herts Cubs 4
Herts Yankees Herts Cubs
ab r h bi ab r h bi
Aaron Witter 2b 4 0 1 1 Alexander Deacon 2b-3b 3 0 0 0
Kieran Manning c 2 1 0 1 Brodie Caress 1b 3 0 1 0
Richard Ganster p 2 1 0 0 Nick Martinez ss-p 2 1 1 0
Cameron Ross lf 2 0 2 1 Christian Lynch rf 3 0 1 1
Adam White 1b 3 0 0 0 Lewis Green p-ss 2 1 1 0
Charlie Mayhew ss 2 0 1 1 McKenna Martinez cf 3 1 2 0
Drew Mayhew 3b 3 0 0 0 Robert Binns c 3 1 0 0
Ben Day cf 2 1 0 0 Ben Jones 3b-2b 2 0 1 2
Michael James rf 1 2 1 0 Jamie Griffin sf 1 0 1 0
Aki Matsuo sf 2 0 0 0 Lewis Auchterlounie lf 3 0 0 0
George Owens rf-dh 2 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 23 5 5 4 TEAM TOTALS 27 4 8 3
E: Adam White, Nick Martinez. LOB: Herts Yankees 9, Herts Cubs 10. 2B: Charlie
Mayhew. 3B: Michael James, Nick Martinez.
Herts Yankees IP H R ER BB SO
Richard Ganster W 6.00 8 4 1 3 13
Herts Cubs
Nick Martinez L 3.67 3 1 1 2 9
Lewis Green 2.00 2 4 2 6 4
HBP: by Richard Ganster (Ben Jones). . , by Richard Ganster (Lewis Green). T: 1:45.
A: 67.

 


CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – BOX SCORES


Herts Cardinals at Herts Red Sox
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
Herts Cardinals 0 1 0 0 1 0 2 2 4
Herts Red Sox 5 4 0 4 0 0 13 3 1

Herts Red Sox 13, Herts Cardinals 2
Herts Red Sox Herts Cardinals
ab r h bi ab r h bi
Theo Longboy rf 2 0 0 1 Carlos Casal Jr p-ss 1 1 0 0
Charlie Mayhew 1b 2 2 0 0 Brodie Caress 1b-p 1 0 0 0
Mikito Ariga c 3 2 1 0 Kieran Manning c 3 0 1 1
Jake Caress 3b 4 3 1 0 Lewis Green 3b 3 0 0 0
Ben Day ss-cf 2 1 0 0 Aki Matsuo 2b-p-1b 3 0 0 0
Zack Longboy p 3 1 1 2 Aaron Witter lf 3 0 1 0
Yuki Ariga lf 1 2 0 2 James Day ss-2b 3 0 0 0
Charlie Owens 2b 2 1 0 1 Drew Mayhew rf 0 1 0 0
Robert Binns cf 2 0 0 2 Ben Day cf 2 0 0 0
Adam White sf 0 0 0 0 Alexander Deacon sf 2 0 0 0
Lewis Auchterlounie dh 0 1 0 1
TEAM TOTALS 21 13 3 9 TEAM TOTALS 21 2 2 1
E: Mikito Ariga, James Day(2), Brodie Caress, Aki Matsuo. LOB: Herts Cardinals 7,
Herts Red Sox 14.
Herts Red Sox IP H R ER BB SO
Zack Longboy W 6.00 2 2 1 6 7
Herts Cardinals
Carlos Casal Jr L 1.67 1 9 5 11 1
Aki Matsuo 1.67 1 4 1 6 2
Brodie Caress 1.33 1 0 0 1 1
HBP: by Carlos Casal Jr (Lewis Auchterlounie). , by Aki Matsuo (Lewis Auchterlounie).
. . . T: 2:12. A: 67.

by AspiDimitrov

NBCs ARE COMING TO HERTS FORTHE FIRST TIME IN THE CLUB’S HISTORY

 

Grovehill Ballpark has been chosen to host the 2010 National Baseball Championships

 

The British Baseball Federation has announced that the National Senior Baseball Championships (NBC) event has been awarded to Herts Baseball Club. It will take place on the weekend of 4 and 5 September at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead. Major development of the venue has taken place over the last few years and this year a second baseball diamond was added to the venue. It is now the only baseball venue in the country with two diamonds and permanent outfield wall on both of them.

The NBC is the showpiece event in the British Baseball season to decide the 2010 champions in the four British Baseball Leagues. The NBL and AAA League NBCs will adopt last year’s double-elimination format with four teams battling it out over a total of six games in each League over the two days. The champions in the AA and Single-A Leagues will be determined over a three-week knockout playoff format with the two best teams in each league meeting in their respective Finals on 5 September 2010.

Some of the teams have already booked their place in the NBC, others are still fighting for automatic qualification or entry via the playoffs which will be played on Saturday 21 and Saturday 28 August at different venues around Great Britain.

 

 

The Herts Falcons (Left) and the Herts Eagles (right) have a big battle ahead of them but they must reach the NBCs

 

This news is fantastic for everyone connected with Herts Baseball.  The key now is for the Herts teams to reach the Championships.  The Herts Falcons are involved in a dramatic battle with Croydon and Mildenhall to clinch a playoff place in the NBL.  Only two out of the three teams will make it.

 

In the AAA League the Herts Eagles have a 4-game winning streak which has taken within touching distance of the league leaders, Oxford.  The two teams meet in the final game of the regular season on Sunday, 15 August.  Whoever come son top will go to the NBC automatically.  But first the Eagles face the London Metros this Sunday at Grivehill Ballpark.

 

The Hawks and Raptors may be out of the AA and Single-A races, respectively, but players in those teams may still play a part in the postseason if they are called up by the Falcons or Eagles.

 

Click here to view full details and schedule of the postseason Playoffs and NBCs.

by AspiDimitrov

CROYDON, HERTS AND MILDENHALL CHASE A PLAYOFF SPOT IN NBL

The Croydon Pirates all but booked their top-six spot and Herts and Mildenhall split their crucial doubleheader in the only Week 15 National Baseball League action on August 2.

 

NBL Special Correspondent Simon Fitzjohn reports:

 

MILDENHALL BULLDOGS @ HERTS FALCONS

Mildenhall and Herts both have a chance of claiming sixth spot after the teams split their doubleheader in wildly contrasting games.

 

The Falcons squeezed to a 6-5 win in Game One, Pete Kikel outdueling Barry Wiles on the mound. But the Bulldogs responded with a 19-8 blowout in Game Two. John Blose took the win in this game, with Dan Kerry (pictured right) launching a home run.

 

Herts’ Aspi Dimitrov said: “We left the field quite disappointed, but after a day or so I think we will look at it differently. We are as we were, but with a round of games less to play, which means that the remaining games become even more important. “We missed an opportunity to move up in the standings” Dimitrov continued, “but we have not lost any ground in the race for the play-offs.”

 

ESSEX ARROWS @ CROYDON PIRATES

An understrength Essex side was put to the sword by the Pirates, who boosted their record to 9-15 with a sweep of both games. The 7-0 and 17-4 wins saw Croydon pitchers Tim Ssali and Jose Sosa pick up the victories, with Matt Gilbert and Richard Chesteron the Essex losers. With the Arrows struggling for numbers, 64-year-old coach Phil Chesterton was even pressed into playing first base in Game Two. Phil Chesterton said: “The key for us is to get through to the end of the season without forfeiting a game. We knew when we entered this season we were going to face some hard truths and we have not been disappointed. “That may sound negative,” Chesterton continued, “but it isn’t. We are definitely a work in progress and I think next season will be when all the hard work starts to pay off.”

 

photos courtesy of www.HP2photographic.com

 

GAME 1 BOX SCORES

 

Mildenhall Bulldogs at Herts Falcons
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Mildenhall Bulldogs 2 0 0 2 0 0 1 5 7 4
Herts Falcons 2 1 1 0 0 2 0 6 6 0

Herts Falcons 6, Mildenhall Bulldogs 5
Herts Falcons Mildenhall Bulldogs
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
CASAL Carlos 2b 2 1 0 0 KLINO cf 4 0 0 1
GONCALVES Luis c 4 2 2 0 TYLER ss 2 1 0 0
SAIONJI Kimiyoshi rf 4 0 1 2 PEREZ Leo 1b 4 1 2 2
KERRY Dan lf 2 0 0 0 WILES Barry p 3 1 1 0
KIKEL Peter p 2 1 1 0 BERK c 3 1 1 0
MARTINEZ Marc 1b 3 0 0 0 BLOSE John 2b 2 0 0 0
DEAL Brandon 3b 2 2 1 1 CULVER Kevin 3b 3 1 2 1
GOETZ Nic ss 3 0 0 0 HOUSE lf 2 0 0 1
MUNN Jamie cf 3 0 1 1 BERK Brook rf 2 0 0 0
          (t7) PIERCE rf 1 0 1 0
TEAM TOTALS 25 6 6 4 TEAM TOTALS 26 5 7 5

E: V Player 2, V Player 5, V Player 7, V Player 9. DP: Mildenhall Bulldogs 1. LOB:
Mildenhall Bulldogs 4, Herts Falcons 6. 2B: GONCALVES Luis, MUNN Jamie, V Player 7.
HR: V Player 3. SB: GOETZ Nic, DEAL Brandon, CASAL Carlos, V Player 1, V Player 7.
SF: V Player 8.

Herts Falcons IP H R ER BB SO
KIKEL Peter W 7.00 7 5 3 2 5
Mildenhall Bulldogs            
WILES Barry L 6.00 6 6 4 1 4

HBP: by V Player 4 (CASAL Carlos), by V Player 4 (KERRY Dan), by V Player 4 (KIKEL
Peter). . . . . , by V Player 4 (CASAL Carlos). , by KIKEL Peter (V Player 2). WP: V
Player 4(3). PB: GONCALVES Luis, V Player 5(2). Balk: KIKEL Peter. T: 2:05. A: 48.

GAME 2 BOX SCORES

 

Mildenhall Bulldogs at Herts Falcons
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
Mildenhall Bulldogs 0 1 8 2 4 4 19 12 4
Herts Falcons 2 3 0 0 2 1 8 9 6

Mildenhall Bulldogs 19, Herts Falcons 8
Mildenhall Bulldogs Herts Falcons
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
KLINO cf 4 2 2 1 GONCALVES Luis p-ss 3 0 0 2
TYLER ss 3 2 1 0 DIMITROV Aspi rf 3 2 2 0
PEREZ Leo lf 3 2 0 0 SAIONJI Kimiyoshi 2b 2 1 0 0
WILES Barry c 3 2 1 2 KERRY Dan cf 2 1 1 3
PIERCE 1b 5 3 2 1 KIKEL Peter 3b-p 3 0 2 1
BERK 2b-3b 5 5 2 0 CULLEN Marty c 3 0 1 0
BLOSE John 3b-p 4 2 2 2 DEAL Brandon ss-1b 2 1 1 0
HOUSE rf 5 0 2 2 MUNN Jamie lf 2 2 2 0
CULVER Kevin p-2b 3 1 0 0 MARTINEZ Marc 1b 1 1 0 0
          (b3) GOETZ Nic p-3b 2 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 35 19 12 8 TEAM TOTALS 23 8 9 6
E: V Player 1, V Player 3, V Player 6, V Player 9, GONCALVES Luis(2), KIKEL Peter(2),
CULLEN Marty, GOETZ Nic. LOB: Herts Falcons 4, Mildenhall Bulldogs 7. 2B: V Player
1(2), V Player 7(2), V Player 6, V Player 8, DEAL Brandon, MUNN Jamie. HR: KERRY Dan.
SB: V Player 6, V Player 5, MUNN Jamie(2), DIMITROV Aspi, MARTINEZ Marc. SF:
GONCALVES Luis(2), KERRY Dan.
Mildenhall Bulldogs IP H R ER BB SO
Jon BLOSE W 5.00 7 6 2 1 1
CULVER Levin  1.00 2 2 2 2 0
Herts Falcons            
GONCALVES Luis L 2.67 4 9 2 5 3
GOETZ Nic 2.00 5 6 1 1 0
KIKEL Peter 1.33 3 4 2 1 1
HBP: by GONCALVES Luis (V Player 3). . . . , by GOETZ Nic (V Player 4). , by V Player
7 (MUNN Jamie). WP: V Player 9(2), GONCALVES Luis(4), KIKEL Peter(3). PB: V Player 4,
CULLEN Marty(5). Balk: GONCALVES Luis(2). T: 2:20. A: 48.

by AspiDimitrov

HERTS DRAWN AGAINST HORSHAM IN THE PLAYOFFS

The British Baseball Federation has confirmed the seedings and the format of the 2010 National Under-14 (Bronco) Playoffs the winners of which will progress to the National Baseball Championships.

The Herts fans played a key role on the road to the National Final last year.

Can their support help the All-Stars go one better this time around.

 

Herts will be represented by the Herts All-Stars team which is selected from among all of the players who are members of the Herts Little League. To determine the Playoff seedings the Herts All-Stars took part in six games against teams from other regions. They won all six of these games and are the only team in the Under-14 League with an unbeaten record so far this season. However, the fact that several of the other teams have played more games has been taken into account by the British Baseball Federation and as a result Herts has been seeded as the third team in the Southern Conference. The team seeded in first place is the London Mets, followed by the Forest Glade RedBacks (affiliated to the Essex RedBacks), Herts are third, Horsham fourth and Bracknell are seeded fifth.

Herts know the top seeded London Mets very well after last year’s dramatic National Final which the team from Hertfordshire narrowly lost and had to settle for a runner-up spot. 12 months have passed since then and the Herts All-Stars will be looking for revenge.

 

 

There were tears after the Herts All-Stars narrowly missed out on becoming National Champions

last year in that unforgettable Final against London which ended with a score 0-1

 

But before that they have to once again do it the hard way through the playoffs. As the third seed they have been drawn to play against Horsham. The two teams met at the same stage of last year’s playoffs when Herts came out on top winning 9-6. Horsham proved to be one of the most difficult opponents which Herts faced in 2009 and they needed a 4-run rally in the final inning to win the game. The draw has not been kind to either Herts or Horsham and the “do-or-die” nature of the playoffs means that the loser will be out of the competition, so there will be a lot of pressure on the players to perform on the day.

If Herts win against Horsham, they will face the loser from the game between London and the Forest Glade RedBacks.

The games will be held at the home of the London Mets in Finsbury Park on Saturday, 11 September 2010 (See full Playoff Schedule below)

2010 National Under-14 (Bronco) League Playoffs (Southern Conference)

Saturday 11th September, Finsbury Park, London

10:00 – Field 1 – Game 1 – #2 Forest Glade @ #1 London

10:00 – Field 2 – Game 2 – #4 Horsham @ #3 Herts All-Stars

13:00 – Field 1 – Game 3 – #5 Bracknell @ winners game 1; winners qualify for NBC

13:00 – Field 2 – Game 4 – Losers Game 1 @ Winners Game 2; winners qualify for NBC

16:00 – Field 1 – Game 5 – Losers Game 4 @ Losers Game 3; consolation game

 

 

 

by AspiDimitrov

DON’T SAY IT’S OVER

The thing about baseball more than any other sport is that having played a game, what you most want to do the next day is play it all over again. My aching bones certainly don't want to do it again, but my mind and heart do. But that is never possible (unless you play in the Major Leagues, and have six games a week). And it is certainly not possible for me this time as, in July, my competitive season has come to an end.

It's good to end with something new — and so on my last appearance I finally played my first game as a Herts Hawk. I have been on their roster all year, but spent most of my time trying to offer wisdom and experience (don't laugh) to the Raptors. Sadly it wasn't to be my first win of the season, as we were outplayed by an eight-man Sidewinders team.

The Hawks are a different bag of fish to the Raptors in many ways. There is lots of talent on the team, and it plays with a positive spirit, but is probably disappointed with its results. I played a role in preventing the win this time around, so I am certainly not here to find fault! As further examples of the “value added” plays I was talking about last week, I caught two straightforward fly balls, but dropped two tougher balls which I had run down successfully but then needlessly put on the ground. It all exemplified the frustration I talked about last week.

It was a busy day in the outfield, and early in the game a booming hit came my way. It was sort of a fly ball, but was a little lower and a little faster than that. At first as I backtracked I thought I would make it, though it would be tough. For anyone who saw Ben Zobrist's catch for the Rays yesterday, it would have looked like that. But I didn't reach it, the ball bounced barely a yard shy of the home run fence and skipped over. I kicked myself about that, so you can imagine what I did later when I carefully chased down a shallow fly ball in left-centre, only to see it bobble out of my glove. I'm still not sure how I dropped it — guru Kal said I had overrun it, so he is probably right, but I maybe just didn't squeeze the glove at the right half-second.

I managed to redeem myself with two catches, and by hitting a 2-RBI double — so imagine my vibes when I then dropped another outfield ball! And that was to be my last actual play of the season. D'oh! Again it was shallow, a sinking liner, but I had seen it early and was running in so called off Tak from left field. I maybe took my eye off it as I saw him, though I should stress he did absolutely nothing wrong! Again I reached it and again the ball went down.

Other Hawks did a far better job than me, I am happy to say. Perrie made good plays from third base and, perhaps more importantly, smart plays. Knowing instantly where to throw the ball is one of the toughest things on the infield, and he did it with a sixth sense. Simon made a tremendous double play from shortstop, catching a bloop over his shoulder then making the quick throw to get the runner straying off second. And Greg showed me how it's done, taking a pop-up on the first base line even as the runner attempted to crash into him and put him off. He did crash into Greg, and they all went down in a heap, but the catch was made and the inning was over. Single-minded fielding.

So, for me, the season is over. Two weeks of work and then a summer holiday will keep me away from our remaining games. Despite my incessant grumbling on these pages, it has been great fun. Herts still shows the ideal way to play amateur sports — with passion to win, but with the ultimate aim of sharing the joy of playing. Raptors players have really come on, and have stuck with baseball despite learning some tough lessons. I don't think my own game has come on much, although I did get my first experiences of pitching and umpiring. On the positive side, I can say that after two years after stepping away from the outfield I can now volunteer myself to play almost anywhere on the diamond. Maybe next year, I'll be pulling on the tools of ignorance as the league's skinniest catcher …. OK maybe not.