Category: Headlines

by AspiDimitrov

FALCONS FINAL INNING DISASTER

The Bracknell Blazers and London Mets strengthened their place at the top of the BBF’s National Baseball League standings in Week 14, while Southampton and Richmond continued to squabble over third spot as the race to the National Baseball League play-offs is heating up.

 

NBL Special Correspondent Simon Fitzohn reports:

 

BRACKNELL BLAZERS @ HERTS FALCONS

Bracknell Blazers earned a sweep of their own against Herts, in wildly contrasting games.  Game One was a comfortable 12-1 win, with Kirby Brooks on the mound, Rob Rance clubbing a home run. But Game Two was a different matter entirely, the Blazers having to rally in the final inning for a 10-4 win. Aspi Dimitrov was saddled with the loss. A dejected Dimitrov said: “We had a 4-3 lead going into the final inning of the second game. We played really, really well and in the end I let the team down blowing the save.

 

“Our future is still in our own hands though.” Dimitrov added. “It is very disappointing and it hurts right now, but we have to get over that and keep battling.”

 

LONDON METS @ ESSEX ARROWS

An understrength London Mets side still had too much in their locker for the Essex Arrows, earning a sweep by 10-0 and 9-6 scorelines. Jason Roberts took the win in Game One, with Reed Wilson on the mound for Game Two. Roberts also caught the eye with the bat, scampering for an inside-the-park home run in the opening game. The Mets’ Alex Pike said: “The first game was pretty straightforward, but we only had nine men and it was a case of trying people out in different positions. We know we are going to make the finals and the key now is for us to try a few things out. “Anything could happen in the finals,” Pike added, “and we have to be prepared for what they throw up.”

 

CROYDON PIRATES @ MILDENHALL BULLDOGS

Mildenhall finally got back to winning ways by seeing off the Croydon Pirates in both their games, 5-4 and 17-2. Kevin Culver pitched the win in Game One and Jason Coffey followed up in Game Two, with Jose Perez smashing a home run. Mildenhall’s Gabriel Macias said: “It feels good to be back. We came out hard and we came out hungry. It was just what we needed. It had been a long time coming, but we still feel we can make the play-offs.”

 

SOUTHAMPTON MUSTANGS @RICHMOND FLAMES

The battle for third spot showed no signs of clearing up after Southampton and Richmond split this doubleheader. Southampton took Game One 7-5, thanks to Lee Ralph’s pitching and despite home runs from Grant Delzoppo and Ryan Bird. Bird was at it again in Game Two, clubbing another home run along with Michael Osborn, who also took the 6-1 win on the mound. Delzoppo said: “It was a little bit disappointing. We had plenty of chances in the first game but didn’t take them and gave runs away on errors. But it was really pleasing for us to bounce back the way we did and get the win in the second game.”

by AspiDimitrov

HAWKS GO DOWN AT RICHMOND

A severely under strength Hawks side travelled to Richmond on the 18th of July hoping to extract revenge for the thrashing the Knights handed out to them last time the two met. Unfortunately — despite a much improved performance — it was not to be, with Richmond winding up 19-4 winners. They still sit comfortably at the top of the table.

On the mound, the Hawks welcomed back their manager, Greg Bochan, from injury. He valiantly pitched the full 7 innings. However, nine errors along with eighteen Richmond hits took their toll and allowed the home side to rack up the runs.

 

Offensively, the Hawks bats were relatively dormant, only managing six hits and four runs in response to Richmond’s effort. The positive for Herts was the contribution made by several Raptor players who, due to missing personnel, got their chance at AA level and did not disappoint. Simon Elkington led the way with three hits and a run, Tak Ashida managed a hit and a run and Jeff Witter got himself an RBI.

 

The effort of these Raptors, however, would not be enough and the game ended in the seventh inning on the 10 run slaughter rule. It was still a much better outcome than the previous performance against Richmond.

 

by AspiDimitrov

RED SOX AND CARDINALS TO PLAY FOR THE 2010 LEAGUE TITLE. CUBS AND YANKEES TO FIGHT FOR BRONZE

Report from Herts Little League Correspondent, Tracey Manning

YANKEES VS CARDINALS
A great start to the first game, new pitcher Richard Ganster for the Yankees did a wonderful job in the opening innings, however Carlos Casal Jr (Cardinals) matched it and went one better, fellow team mate Drew Mayhew hit a double. Big hitters in this game were Marty Cullen Jr and Jose Morillo from the Yankees a big effort but Cardinals stopped them from making any head way. It ended 4-1 to the Cardinals.


RED SOX VS CUBSRed Sox played a calm and very precise game keeping the Cubs at bay. Cubs didn’t stand around and with some good hits and fielding, the older team members from both sides helped and encouraged the younger ones who did really well and they got on base this was a massive boost to them. The game ended with a score of 8-5 to the Red Sox.

After lunch some off the Little Leaguers joined in with their coaches for a mid-game training session then on with the second games of the day.


CARDINALS VS RED SOX
On the mound for the Cardinals Kyle Lloyd-Jones struck out many of his opponents. Cardinals held out in front up to second half of the game. Michael Davis caught many fly balls for the Red Sox and Theo Longboy came home to score the first run for the Redsox in the 3rd inning and they never looked back. Cardinals slugger Joshua Jones made a brave attempt to get to first base but was beaten to it by a strong throw. Red Sox won 5-4.

YANKEES VS CUBS
Young pitcher Alex Deacon opened for the Cubs and did a great job, The rest of the Cubs backed him up well. Big hits from Nick Martinez and Lewis Green both from the Cubs.
Slugger Jose Morillo yet again made some big hits and managed a inside the park home run. The Yankees pulled away and this left the score at 11-8 to the Yankees.

These results mean that the Red Sox and Cardinals finish in first and second place respectively so they will battle in the Herts Little League Championship game on Saturday 7 August. On the same day, the Yankees and Cubs will play in the Bronze medal game.

Herts Little League Standings (as at 24 July 2010)

Majors

Team

W

L

%

F

A

Run +/-

GB

Streak

Herts Red Sox

8.5

3.5

0.708

54

39

15

–

W2

Herts Cardinals

7

5

0.583

47

32

15

1.5

L1

Herts Yankees

5.5

6.5

0.458

51

54

-3

3

W1

Herts Cubs

3

9

0.250

39

66

-27

5.5

L2

 

 

by AspiDimitrov

NEW HERTS BASEBALL CAP AT THE HERTS SHOP FROM TOMORROW

 

 

 

The new Herts Baseball Caps have finally arrived. They will be available to buy at the ballpark starting from Sunday, 25 July, during the adult league games and in the following weekends at most Little League and Adult events.

The new Herts cap is a premium model fitted cap available in three different sizes. It features a 3D raised stitch logo as well as “hertsbaseball.com” on the back. The manufacturer’s brand name is embroidered on the left side of the cap.

This is a higher grade cap and its price is slightly higher than the previous model. The price is £12. Registered Little League players receive a discount so the price for them is £10.

 

 

by AspiDimitrov

SUMMER SUNDAYS

Some people enjoy getting a good thrashing on a Sunday. They maybe even look forward to it. I'm not one of them, but that is what I have endured for the past two weekends. Last week was at the London Tournament in Croydon, so it was in exhibition games really. This week was back in competition, albeit good-natured competition. Whatever you might infer from my calm exterior, I always want to win, and I want to do my absolute best. Getting thrashed rarely gives you the feelings you want.

Last week at Croydon I missed the heroics of Saturday's win, and was only there on the Sunday when we came up against the National League powerhouses of Richmond and Bracknell.  I can't grumble about the final results, however much I dislike a thrashing! But as this blog sees the world through the prism of my own performance, I can grumble a bit. I took one fly ball comfortably in left field, and blocked a ball in the gap. When playing first base I fielded balls thrown perfectly to me by Aspi and Luis, but couldn't bring down those which were thrown slightly too high. One towering pop up came my way which I was very happy with until it completely disappeared in the sun, and fell to earth.  So overall, solid results but no cigar.

I was back at first base as the Raptors returned to league action this Sunday, at home against Richmond. I'm not built like a classic first baseman — being of only average height and far less than average build — but I do enjoy playing first. You feel really close to the action, and feel involved in every play. I managed to collect a bloodied lip and a bruised shin to show for my efforts, but felt that I had little more besides.  I don't think I made any errors as such, but I can't think of a play which I was able to make which a rookie player couldn't.  And therein lies the frustration — having played this game for seven or eight years I feel I should be at a higher level. Learning to play the carom off the fence well wasn't much consolation.

My batting gave me similar concerns.  The rib strain which would probably have sidelined me for the past few weeks (had I not missed them due to work anyway) has been playing on my mind, and probably cramped my swing. At Croydon, I made a connection in my only two at-bats, even if I did get out, so I shouldn't belittle that against such lofty opposition. Facing Richmond this week, I hit the ball all four times I came up — as you should against A-ball pitchers — but never hit it hard.

So what am I driving at here? Clearly we are all limited by our individual talents, and that is certainly true of me. But my frustration is not because I can't play the way Albert Pujols does, it's because I can't play the way I can. And that means I am driving — as usual — at the frustrations of the part-time player, as he tries to balance the hankering to play every game, every week, with the fact that he has a life to live outside the game. Rust seemes to accumulate on my game far more quickly than it shakes off! I have been able to attend just one practice session since the season began.  I have played in five games, with just one more to go. That's not really good enough for the team, or for my satisfaction. Deep thoughts have to be thought about how I address this.

Being away from the action for a few weeks does at least help to highlight the positive changes in the team — rather like seeing a young relative shoot up in stature. Ken's pitching is far more authoritative than when I first saw it; Jim's pitching even more devastating. Steve Patmore caught the whole game in unpleasant heat on Sunday, and was one of our most solid defensive performers. As well as catching two pop-ups — which always look incredibly hard when encumbered by a mask and huge shinpads — he also made a perfect throw to me when a batter ran on a dropped third strike. In theory, it's an easy play but in practice, at our level, it is something else. I would consider that play my own defensive highlight of the day, and certainly one of his. Raptors were better than the scoreline suggested on Sunday, and the team can go on to even better things if they stick with the game. Hopefully the players will be a solid core for the club to build on in coming years.

by AspiDimitrov

HERTS FALCONS STUN LEGENDARY PITCHER CODY CAIN. SAIONJI TAKES HIM DEEP

 

This report by Simon Fitzjohn was firtst published on www.britishbaseball.org

 

It was the day of the underdogs in Week 13 of the BBF’s National Baseball League on Sunday, July 18 as both the Croydon Pirates and Herts Falcons sprang surprises. Expected to be brushed aside by heavyweight rivals London Mets and Richmond Flames, both Croydon and Herts each battled to earn a split in their two-game sets. In other action, Southampton Mustangs boosted their top-four aspirations with a sweep of Essex Arrows.

NBL Special Correspondent Simon Fitzjohn reports:

RICHMOND FLAMES @ HERTS FALCONS

Herts kept their season alive by fighting their way to a split in two wildly contrasting games. Game One was a real pitching duel between Herts’ Pete Kikel and Richmond’s Cody Cain, with the Falcons pitcher emerging triumphant thanks in part to Kimiyoshi Saionji’s home run in a 2-1 win. The Flames bounced back in Game Two, breaking open a tight contest late. Carlos Mancheno and Grant Delzoppo clubbed homers, helping Michael Osborn to the 11-6 win.

Grant Delzoppo said: “I am disappointed we had to settle for a split, as I thought we had chances to win both games. We had lots of opportunities in Game One but didn’t take them, so I am pretty happy that we came back in Game Two like we did.”

Herts’ stand-in coach Marty Cullen said: “I am really happy. We had nine guys out there who gave their all and it was a real gritty display. If we had had a decent bench we could have even have won both games, but we are happy with picking up the one win.”

LONDON METS @ CROYDON PIRATES

In one of the biggest turnarounds of the season, the Croydon Pirates responded to being thrashed 11-1 in Game One by stunning the league leaders by the same scoreline in Game Two. Jason Roberts earned the win in the first game, sentencing Jose Sosa to defeat, but Tim Ssali pitched a gem for Croydon in the second game, with Callum Woods saddled with the loss. Beaming Croydon coach Dave Ward said: “For us to come back in that fashion is fantastic. We completely turned things around. I think they were shocked by how we came out in Game Two. “We rested Tim last week so he would be ready for today,” Ward continued, “and he was almost unbeatable. It was a great performance and a great day.”

 

ESSEX ARROWS @ SOUTHAMPTON MUSTANGS

Southampton kept things ticking over nicely by seeing off the Arrows by way of 5-3 and 12-6 scorelines. Lee Ralph took the mound honours in Game One, with Gary Davison smashing a home run, and it was Davison himself who pitched the win in Game Two. Mustangs coach Ben Davis said: “If someone had offered us this record at the start of the season we would gladly have taken it. I don’t think anybody expected this. “We are really proud of what we have achieved so far,” David added, “and we just need to keep plugging away for the rest of the season.”

 

Photos by www.HP2photographic.com (click for more images of the Herts Falcons memorable 2-1 win)

 

 

by AspiDimitrov

DRAGONS DEVOUR RAPTORS

Hopes were high after the upset victory over Braintree but expectations were realistic, too – the Raptors were now taking on the Richmond Dragons, who lead the other division and have the best record in all of A-class baseball.  Raptors were also going into the game without some key players — first baseman Simon Elkington, and the handy infield sluggers Bobby Gould and Phil Gover – but the team had its pitching stars all present, so there was hope….

Ken Pike got the call to start on the mound and barely put a foot wrong. But it swiftly became clear this was not going to be the Raptors’ day. Some close calls around the strike zone did not go their way, and without ever getting a really big hit, the Dragons managed to find the gaps all over the field. Richmond have always stolen bases as if they were bread in a time of famine, and they were once again aggressive on the base paths, and they were soon totting up the runs.  Pike persevered and his curve ball sharpened up, throwing off the batters. But the team will be disappointed with defensive miscues behind him.  Some balls were dropped, and some throws went to the wrong base.  But the margins were often close.  Chris Deacon at second base made one fantastic stop on a ball which looked sure to go through the gap, but his quick throw found stand-in first baseman Rob Jones still heading back to the bag after chasing the same ball. What could have been a blinding play turned into just another base hit. When the inning was finally over – with two of the outs fielded by Ken Pike himself from the mound – there were 14 runs on the board.

Raptors looked to hit back quickly.  Jones got aboard and stole second, was batted round to third, and scored the first run on a Bryan Drummond RBI.  The bases were getting busy.  But again fate was unkind – with one out, the bases loaded, but only two runs having crossed the plate, a double play snuffed out the inning.  The Dragons continued to make good progress, even once the Herts work had tightened up.  So Pike handed pitching duties over to Jim Arnott, who promptly fired out the batter in front of him with three pitches, ending the inning.  He would return to throw up more zeroes and keep the Raptors in the game.

> But the bats never came alive enough to suggest there would be the big rally that was needed to get back in the game.  Tom Green got aboard, and Steve Patmore added to his excellent work behind the plate by getting a hit, but not enough could be strung together.  Raptors went into the bottom of the seventh needing what felt like a squillion runs to keep the game alive, but didn’t come close.  In the end they went down 24-4, a score which would look very different without that 14-run first inning.

So a game which had seemed to offer an opportunity for “as-live training” turned out just that way. That was disappointing for the Raptors, who will still try to push on and add to their wins total.  But the game was played in a good spirit, and featured some excellent plays.  Raptors had also been let down by their umpire so Ali Hall – the freshest of newcomers to the game – valiantly umpired several innings, as did Jon Gamble and the ever dependable Marty Cullen Jr.  The Herts Raptors move on with Bracknell and the Old Timers still offering hope of further triumphs, both big and small.

 

Photos by www.HP2photographic.com

 

by AspiDimitrov

CUBS AND CARDINALS GAIN GROUND. HERTS ALL-STARS EXTEWND UNBEATEN RUN

Report from Herts Little League Correspondent, Tracey Manning

 

There was an early start for the Herts Little Leaguers on a fine Saturday morning of week 6 of the Herts Baseball Little League.

Cardinals Vs YankeesYankees batting first, many big hitters Cameron Ross, Jose Morillo and Marty Cullen Jr, but with the Cardinals on top form stopped the Yankees from making much head way as they only managed 2 runs in this fast game. Cardinals Kieran Manning hit a triple sending home fellow team mates left the end score 8-4 to the Cardinals.

 

Redsox Vs Cubs
Both teams put members in different positions for a new feel this giving Cubs Alexander Deacon his debut as pitcher. On the mound for the Red Sox was Michael Davis who kept the score at a close 7-6 to the Cubs.

The teams played only one league game each, and this was followed by the Herts All-Stars double header against the Essex Redbacks in the afternoon.

 

HERTS LITTLE LEAGUE STANDINGS (as at 17 July 2010)


 

Majors
Team W L % F A Run +/- GB Streak
Herts Red Sox 6.5 3.5 0.650 41 30 11 – L1
Herts Cardinals 6 4 0.600 39 26 13 0.5 W1
Herts Yankees 4.5 5.5 0.450 39 42 -3 2 L1
Herts Cubs 3 7 0.300 26 47 -21 3.5 W1
Minors
Team W L % F A Run +/- GB Streak
Herts Tornados 1 1 0.500 18 19 -1 – L1
Herts Crocs 1 1 0.500 19 18 1 – W1

 

 

Herts All-Stars vs Essex RedBacks

 

Herts All-Stars welcomed the Essex Redbacks and got down to business.


In the first innings no-one from the Redbacks got on base Nick Martinez made sure of that and the balls which were put in play were swiftly passed to 1st base. Kyle Lloyd-Jones hit his first home run for the Herts All-Stars this year. May many more follow for this power hitter. Another big hit came from Jonny Compton-Weight. Herts kept the game going at a fast pace to get 5 runs each of the first 3 innnings. Zack Longboy was the closing pitcher in this game leaving the score at 20-0 to Herts.

On the mound in the second game of the day was Marty Cullen Jr. Redbacks got a second wind and scored 5 runs in the 1st innings. Not to be outdone, Herts also drove 5 runs in. Carlos Casel hit a triple, Nick Martinez, Jose Morillo and Marty Cullen Jr all got ground rule doubles. Charlie Mayhew seems to be king of the inside the park home runs and achieved his second one in as many weeks. Redbacks fought back and also hit a home run but alas this wasn’t enough to win. Herts scoring 20 runs to their 11.

photos supplied by Ward Davis (click here to see more image from week 6 action or for images from the Herts All-Stars vs Essex RedBacks game click here)


by AspiDimitrov

HERTS GIANT-KILLERS RUIN LONDON METS PLANS

The four Herts adult baseball teams had a week away from league action and headed South to Croydon for the International London Tournament. Every year this event provides an opportunity for British Baseball clubs to have an All-Star week similar to the MLB All-Star week.

18 teams entered the tournament including teams from France and Holland. Herts Baseball Club was represented by a team which included a mix of all four of its adult teams, from a few experienced NBL players to first year Single-A League players. The team was drawn into one of the toughest groups of the competition with NBL teams like the Mildenhall Bulldogs, the Birmingham Maple Leafs who are leaders of the AA (Midlands) League, and a combined team from the NBL London Mets and the Dutch team Zuidvogels.

In their first game Herts faced Birmingham. The Hertfordshire team found it difficult to get on base in the early innings but stayed in touch in the hope of a big rally in the final innings. They managed to put several hits together and just when it looked like the team was coming back into the game, the rally was cut short by two questionable decisions by the two base umpires. After this 5-1 loss and with the London Mets/Zuidvogels winning a nail biting game against Mildenhall 8-7, Herts knew that they needed to beat the London Mets/Zuidvogels by 4 runs or more in the final group game on Saturday in order to make it into the elite bracket on the second day of the tournament. This was unthinkable as their opponents were all NBL-calibre players while Herts had an experimental squad made up of 40% Falcons (NBL), 7% Eagles (AAA), 33% Hawks (AA) and 20% Raptors (A).

The London Mets/Zuidvogels took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first and everyone who had gathered at field 3 in Croydon was expecting Herts to capitulate. Not even the most optimistic supporters of the Hemel Hempstead-based club could have predicted what was to follow. The boys from Hertfordshire started to put runners on base and a combination of some aggressive running and clutch hits gave Herts the lead in the second inning. The Herts assault continued in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings while at the same time precision pitching from Nic Goetz and solid defence was making the London Mets/Zuidvogels visibly frustrated. The Herts defence had to hold on to the required 4-run lead in the face of the Mets onslaught in the final three innings of the game, and they did. The 4-run lead was maintained every inning, 6-2 in the fourth, 8-4 in the fifth and 9-5 in the sixth and final inning. The game ended very fittingly with Herts centerfielder, Mahendra Prasad, making a spectacular diving catch.

The result meant that Herts were through to the elite bracket on the final day of the tournament while the London Mets/Zuidvogel team were relegated to the lower bracket in true FA Cup giant-killing fashion.

On day two Herts were hoping to continue the fairytale but it wasn’t to be as they came short against Richmond losing 6-1 and later had to battle against the eventual winners, Bracknell who had added an array of superstars including former GB players to their existing 2009 NBL-winning roster. No one could match them all weekend as they destroyed every single opponent that came up against them.

Overall this was a fantastic weekend for Herts as players from the four different adult teams had a chance to play side-by-side and also to cause the shock of the tournament. Herts had more reasons to celebrate on Saturday evening as its representative in the Home Run Derby, Kimiyoshi Saionji, reached the final and finished in third place with a total of 3 home runs. In second place was London Mets slugger, Daniel Williams, who put on a show with 6 massive homers, some of which reached distances of well over 400 feet. Mildenhall’s Mike McClure was the Home Run Champion after hitting 8 home runs.

 

Other news from the 2010 London Tournament

by AspiDimitrov

HERTS ALL-STARS TOO HOT FOR THE BRACKNELL BLAZERS

 

Report by Herts Little League Correspondent, Tracey Manning

 

The Herts All Stars welcomed the Bracknell Blazers to sunny Grovehill Ballpark for a double header in the next round of games which count towards the seeding for the 2010 National Championships.

Game One

Blazers batting first, Herts kept the opposition from any runs in the first innings. Herts on the other hand took the lead and stayed there. Power hitter Marty Cullen Jr didn’t disappoint. Starting pitcher Zack Longboy did his share to keep the Blazers from getting any runs early on. Carlos Casal Jr cam through with a big hit for an inside the park home run in the 2nd inning. Herts worked well as a team with some precise fielding picking up a win with a final score of 10-2.

 

 

Game Two

With the heat rising on the hottest day of the year so far, both teams had a quick soaking from the hose from coach Carlos Casal Senior and everyone was ready to play ball again. On the mound Kyle Lloyd-Jones recorded several strikeouts. Lewis Green got an assist after a throw all the way from right field. He stopped a ground ball and threw home where catcher Kieran Manning was ready to receive the ball and apply the tag on the incoming runner. Herts took the lead from the start and this is where they stayed. Michael Davis and Gus Beedell were consistently getting on base while Charlie Mayhew hit an inside the park home run. Every team member from Herts had a part to play in another 10-2 win for Herts.

 

More photos by Ward Davis from the Herts vs Bracknell game