Category: Headlines

by Rob Jones

Herts tame young Gold Cats

The Herts Raptors came roaring out of the blocks on their visit to the Guildford Gold Cats on Sunday (July 30th). Three hits, three walks and a clutch of stolen bases helped them score five before their hosts even picked up a bat, writes Rob Jones.

There was a lot at stake on this mostly sunny but blustery day, with Herts looking to get their record back to .500 on the season. Bouncing back from their recent defeat at Cambridge would give them a chance of a playoff place — but only a victory would do.

Paul Auchterlounie heads in to score a run

The runs driven in by Paul Barton and Arnie Longboy offered a good start.

When he took the game ball to pitch the bottom of the first, Paul Auchterlounie built on that quickly. The Guildford Gold Cats came out swinging aggressively, and Auchterlounie’s ability to both throw strikes and change speeds made swift work of the lineup. They did not score.

Herts scored three more in the top of the second. Then a double play from shortstop Rob Jones helped choke off the Guildford offense as it tried to reply — catching a pop-up in the hole then throwing to John Kjorstad at first to nab a runner who had strayed way too far off base.

Paul Barton stole home in the fourth inning, alertly — even cheekily — coming across to score as both the pitcher and the catcher were looking elsewhere.

And in the bottom of the frame it was the other Paul, Auchterlounie, doing the business. He fielded two comebackers for ground-outs, then struck out the third batter.

The Raptors led 11-5 at this point. Although the game was balanced, Herts felt in control. A costly throwing error by Guildford on an infield dribbler allowed two runs to score, and the lead stretched. Herts minds were turning towards a mercy rule victory.

But the youthful Guildford side did not give up. In fact, they brought on their third bright young pitcher of the day — this one throwing high heat, and offspeed pitches including a knuckleball.

And their hitters finally chased Auchterlounie, who gave way to Barton. The box score now shows that the Gold Cats won the final three innings of the game —  but the question at the time was could they come back, or could Herts hold on?

Raptors tacked on one more in the seventh, and the eighth.  Guildford kept drawing closer.

Joseph Osborne-Brade reached base with what we will call a swinging bunt in the ninth, then Arnie Longboy reached on a hit by pitch. Then two strikeouts ended any hope of padding the lead, and Raptors led 19-14 going into the bottom of the ninth.

Five runs is far from impossible in Single-A baseball. But on this day only one run would score. Good pitching from Paul Barton did the trick, and some tightened up fielding.

Guildford Gold Cats had shown their tremendous talent and potential, and had clubbed big hits to back up their pitching. But the Herts smarts had been enough to get the crucial win.

by Rob Jones

Monarchs reign over Raptors

For five innings, the box score was ticking over steadily as the Herts Raptors took on the Cambridge Monarchs on a gloomy but humid Coldham’s Common. The numbers show two teams who were evenly matched, writes Rob Jones.

Then, for the first time, the visiting batters put up a zero in their top half of the sixth inning. And then Cambridge come back to bite them, big time.

Arnie Longboy keeps an eye on Paul Barton

But let’s start at the beginning. The Raptors had struggled to piece together a team for this trip to Cambridge, with injuries, family crises and the start of the summer holidays all taking their toll. But with a little help from the Monarchs, they got the men they needed.

Shortstop Rob Jones scored the first run of the game, talking a walk, stealing a base, and advancing on a pass ball before he was driven in by first baseman John Kjorstad.

The next batch of runs, which came in the second inning, were similarly manufactured. Joseph Osborne Brade with the walk, then the wild pitch, before he was driven in by Matt Jackson. A steal and a single, then Kjorstad in turn brought him home.

So far, so good.

Ben Sinclair ended the inning by flying out to a fielder just inches from the home run fence. Perhaps Herts’ inability to get “a big hit” stopped them capitalising on their own good work at the plate.

In the field, they did good work to keep the Monarchs in check. Second baseman James Emblow made an unassisted double play in the first inning, taking a catch then swiftly stepping on his bag for another out. Left fielder Osborne-Brade cut down a runner trying to go home on a hit to the outfield in the second, with catcher Arnie Longboy standing strong to secure the out at the plate.

So the lead changed hands in the early innings, but it was always nip and tuck. A 4-3 Herts lead became a 6-5 deficit and then after five innings it was tied 8-8.

Then…. well, it’s hard to put a finger on what happened next. Paul Barton, who had pitched out of trouble thus far, perhaps lived too dangerously this time. A difficult catch went down, then one or two easier ones.

Monarchs’ reliever

And hits just found holes. Arnie Longboy moved from behind the plate to pitch, as fine rain started to sweep across the field. He closed it down, but only after Cambridge had scored their ninth run of the inning and gone ahead 17-8.

Herts then had the opportunity to hit back. But the task had been made harder by the Monarchs flame-throwing reliever, who had racked up strikeouts once he settled in on the mound. The Raptors did make some good contact, and worked more walks. But they could score only two, leaving the Monarchs needing three runs for a mercy win.

Longboy induced a pop-up for the first out, but Herts could not hold back the river. With the infield drawn in, a single up the middle struck the winning blow. It ended 20-10 and moved the Raptors to 5-6 on the season.

 

by Zack Longboy

Falcons shock Southampton, Upset Defending Champs

Herts Falcons, 5 – Southampton Mustangs, 2 In a game with a tangible sense of added emotion, the Herts Falcons upset the Southampton Mustangs on the back of a Miguel Hector 3-run bomb, and a complete game, 4-hitter for starter Zack Longboy.

From the first pitch, Southampton looked ready to continue their streak of hot hitting as a bloop, a hard liner and a wild pitch pushed two runs across in the top of the first. On the mound for the Mustangs was Alejandro Morense, who also looked untouchable early with a sharp curveball.

After being blanked for the first two innings, the Herts offense came alive, led by Jarrod Pretorius, who collected two hits in his return to the Falcons, and Tyler Badenhorst who drove in a run to reduce the deficit to 2-1. It was the bottom of the 4

After being blanked for the first two innings, the Herts offense came alive, led by Jarrod Pretorius, who collected two hits in his return to the Falcons, and Tyler Badenhorst who drove in a run to reduce the deficit to 2-1.

It was the bottom of the 4th however, when the Herts bats really began to do their damage. Singles by Badenhorst and catcher Phil Clark put ducks on the pond for Miguel Hector, who smashed a no-doubter over the wall in left, to bring the score to 4-2, Herts. Hector’s production in the 8-hole, including what was, without question, one of the biggest plays of the game, is indicative of a Herts lineup that produced one-through-nine on Sunday.

On the other side of the ball, Herts got a dominant performance by starter Zack Longboy who allowed only 2 runs on four hits, in the complete game win. After the top of the first, Longboy blanked the hard-hitting Mustangs, who’s lineup includes several GB Senior Nationals, for the next 6 innings with a biting two-seamer that ran in on Southampton hitters all day.

In support of Longboy, the Herts defense which has often struggled with error-laced innings this season, also looked on point, buoyed by the play of third baseman Pretorius and centerfielder Darren Meintjes. Clark, who called an excellent game behind the plate, also showcased stellar defense, allowing no passed balls and keeping the Mustangs’ runners in check.

Padding the lead, hits by first-baseman Cris Hiche and a double roped off the wall in left for John Blose added another run in the bottom of the 5th, bringing the lead to 5-2, Herts. A late push in the top of the 7th by the Mustangs saw two men reach on a double and a walk, but a timely pick off at 2nd by Longboy and a ground ball to third ended the threat, and sealed the Falcons’ win.

All day, emotions seemed to be running high in the Herts dugout, the team fired up to play the defending-champ-Mustangs. “We’ve got a great team when we have our full roster out and [we] can compete with all the top teams” Manager Lee Manning said. “Longboy threw a masterclass and makes me proud of our youth system. He’s developed so much over the last two years, I expect to see him in the GB senior set up soon.”

WHAT’S NEXT? British baseball fans are encouraged to attend the British Summer Time/MLB UK event in Hyde Park this evening July, 4th. The event will pit two teams of former major leaguers, including Cliff Floyd, Carlos Pena and Shawn Greene, against one other in a home run derby competition. Stayed tuned for post-event coverage on the Herts Baseball website.

For the Falcons, the next matchup will be a doubleheader against a familiar foe: the Southampton Mustangs, who will no doubt be looking for revenge.

Doubleheader: Herts Falcons vs. Southampton Mustangs

Game 1: 12:00 p.m.

Game 2: 3:00 p.m.

Location: Grovehill Ballpark, HP2 6NH

by Rob Jones

A new tribute – The Kal Cup

Herts Baseball Club is very proud to announce a new event on the sporting calendar this summer — The Kal Cup.

This will be a special tournament to remember our friend and team-mate Kal Dimitrov, and to celebrate the values of friendship and fair play he brought to our sport. It will take place at our Grovehill home in Hemel Hempstead over the weekend of August 12th-13th.

Herts will enter three teams — including one of veterans who played alongside Kal — and invites all Single-A level sides to enter for a weekend of fast-moving, knockout baseball.

The format will start out as a series of single-inning games for every team — a format successfully used in Herts’ own intra-club competition in the autumn. It means that every inning is like the ninth, with all the drama and strategy that entails.

But if you lose, there’s another game coming just a few minutes later!

As teams progress to semi-finals and a final, the games will stretch to three and finally six innings. The aim is to have everybody playing as much baseball as possible over the weekend, and competing against friends old and new.

Kal Dimitrov was a key figure at Herts Baseball Club for over a decade and helped build it to the force it is today. He died suddenly during a league game in 2015, a moment which shocked the Herts baseball family but also the whole British baseball community.

He had been a player, coach, umpire, manager and mentor for several teams. In 2015, he was the joint manager of the Herts Raptors in the Single-A division.

That is why the club has chosen to focus this tournament on Single-A teams. And, indeed, on anyone taking part in baseball below the expert level! Kal’s legacy was about love for the game, and for the way it brought people together, and that is what we want to mark.

He had also been instrumental in developing the youth leagues which have now flourished at Herts. The Under-17 Red Kites will therefore enter a team in this tournament.

The Raptors will be there, the current Herts Single-A team. And so will “Kal’s Knights” — made up of former players who played with Kal over the years.

Herts would love to have teams from across the country come and help us celebrate our friend.

The club’s Communications Director, Rob Jones, said: “I have nothing but wonderful memories of Kal. His character, humour and spirit lifted every baseball occasion.”

“We want to pay a tribute to him — and I know many people across the British game want the same. A weekend of baseball will be a great chance to show what Kal was all about.”

The entry fee is £100 per team, with Herts providing balls, umpires and all the necessary facilities. There will be food, drinks and merchandise available from our expert concessions team.

Please contact us at hertsbaseball.com for more information and to enter the tournament. We can be found on Facebook and as @hertsbaseball on Twitter and Instagram.

 

by Rob Jones

Raptors best Bobcats, back to winning ways

The last time the Raptors faced Tonbridge in a BBF game it was the famous playoff victory of 2016. Some faces have changed since then, and the main aim for Herts this time around was to break a frustrating losing streak.

Confidence was high as the two teams met at Grovehill on Sunday, with the arrival of veteran John Kjorstad on the Herts roster off-setting the absence of some of this year’s new stars.

Raptors manager, Paul Barton, got the start on the mound on a day which saw sporadic rain showers break up the weeks of sunshine. It was a solid opening, with the visitors scoring just two.

John Kjorstad in hitting action

The Herts bats replied by scoring three to take the lead, and the offense would be the saviour many times in this game. Not once were Herts held scoreless, and that would be crucial to the result.

After Tonbridge were shut out in the next couple of innings, the Raptors built a promising looking 8-2 lead. Ken Pike had himself a day in many ways, and his triple to lead off the third was just one part of that. He went 3-for-4 with the bat, driving in three.

In his role as catcher, he was also part of a double play and threw out two runners — both pretty rare plays in Single-A. Second baseman Arnold Longboy did an admirable job applying the tags on the two steals, while Paul Auchterlounie’s sharp fielding as relief pitcher helped to turn two.

But let’s get back to the top of the fifth inning, where it started to go sour for the Raptors. Barton’s pitching had perhaps not been at its sharpest, and he was starting to lose his battle with the tight strike zone.

Tonbridge were happy to take advantage and work walks. They scored eight runs in what felt like an interminable fifth inning, to roar back and take the lead 13-12.

When it was all over, Herts had given away an astonishing 30 base-on-balls. But it was that sort of day. The Bobcats walked 14 — and once Paul Barton handed over the ball to his relievers, they also had trouble throwing consistent strikes.

One Tonbridge hitter swung the bat just once all day, but scored four runs. So it wasn’t an entirely duff strategy.

However, it was Ken Pike who ultimately got the win as pitcher (see, I told you he had a day). Because, yes, win is what the Raptors did.

Archive photo of Ken Pike in base-running action but we’re sure that’s how he’d like to be shown

They struck back with 10 runs of their own in the bottom of the fifth to take a commanding lead which they would not surrender. Pike hit a double, and stole home. John Kjorstad drove in four as he went 4-for-5 on the day. Third baseman Tom Carson hit a pair of doubles, while Auchterlounie hit a triple.

Tonbridge did not give up without a fight, though, and narrowed the gap each inning. The feeling in the Herts dugout remained tense.

But on a day when pitching was not the dominant force, the Raptors were happy that they won the contest for number of hits — 23, compared with 15.

They even managed to end with a defensive flourish, shutting out Tonbridge in the top of the ninth to complete a 32-26 victory. The losing streak was broken. Complete with a forfeit from a previous week, the Herts side now move to 4-5 as they head into the last third of the season.

The Herts Falcons had a tougher time of it in their National League (NBL) double-header away to the London Capitals.

They travelled with a strong young side, and the first game was tied 1-1 going into the fourth inning with Ian Sales getting the RBI. Then a London home run opened the floodgates and they ran out 9-1 winners, with Herts unable to wake up their bats.

Game 2 also saw a close start – with the score 5-all in the fifth. Tyler Badenhorst and Zack Longboy shared the pitching duties,while Moises Vazquez drove in three. Again, London piled on, though, and secured a 14-6 victory.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Two more wins for Hawks. Innocuous play causes bench-clearing.

by Andy Cornish,
reporting from Grovehill Ballpark in Hertfordshire

Herts Hawks continued their hot return in the second tier of British baseball with another double victory against last year’s Double-A champions on Sunday, which saw some scorching temperatures and sticky incidents. Herts went into the game knowing that two of their big hitters were out of action, their bullpen was depleted and the British weather was going to hold no prisoners.

Game 1: Hawks 10 Daws Hill Spitfires 5

Andrew Slater got off the blocks slightly shakily, allowing two runs in the first inning after striking out the first batter, before settling down to his usual command and accuracy that has helped him to gain respect across the league. A typical Slater inning was seen in the fourth inning, when he threw 5 pitches, 4 strikes, to record 3 quick outs. Both Slater and the fielders welcomed the respite from the increasing temperatures. After 6 innings the Hawks were up 10-2, which also included some quality at bats, personified by a Hunter Devine triple which came after a 9 pitch at bat. The heat was starting to get to the players, with Gilberto twice slowing down going into second base from hits, once getting tagged out. In the top of the 7th, the Hawks allowed three runs, after the Spitfires found the gaps. With 2 down, a Daws Hill runner tried to steal third, Gilberto managed to grab the high throw from Cornish and make a tag, but the ball was knocked out by the sliding runner. The runner then decided to break for home, Medina grabbed the ball, that was by his feet, and made a tag, which the umpire didn’t see as the player retreated and was called safe. The next pitch, the batter hit deep and high into the outfield, which was tracked down by the reliable glove of Sony Lama, for the final out.

The end of the game allowed players to get some much needed shade, as the temperatures, much like the Herts average age, increased into the mid-30s. Matt Jackson was called up from the Herts Raptors due to the depleted Hawks numbers on Father’s Day, but he truly held his own.

Game 2: Hawks 11 Daws Hill Spitfires 9

The second game was even more heated, with the temperature baking and tempers flaring. With the Hawks leading 4-2 in the 3rd inning, there was a tense moment after what seemed like an innocuous play at first. The Herts batter, Ernest Ayala Jr, managed to reach base after a throw to first base took the first baseman off the bag and Ayala went by him before he could apply the tag. Ayala Jr made a turn into fair territory under the impression that the throw went astray all the way to the fence. He quickly realized that the ball was in the first baseman’s glove and and he had to slide back feet-first into first base to avoid being tagged out. The first baseman didn’t seem to realize that he had an opportunity to tag the runner out so he wasn’t sure why he was sliding into first base and incorrectly concluded that Ayala Jr’s slide was an act of aggression. This caused a heated confrontation involving a large number of players from both sides. Thankfully, cool heads prevailed after a 15-minute delay. Games between these two teams are always played with the utmost mutual respect and this was the case again on Sunday, apart from this one heated moment, which we should probably attribute to the incredibly hot weather rather than any ill feeling. With the scores fluctuating throughout the game, Ernie Ayala was able to hold onto the game for a complete game win against some good pitching and solid hitting.

Hawks are now 9-2 this season, 1 game back on the East London Latin Boys with Sidewinders and Marauders following close behind. Next game for Hawks is away doubleheader at Marauders on 2 July, to be played at Enfield, not Finsbury Park

Thanks should go again to the umpires, making another fantastic contribution to the game, with great, timely calls, diffusing situations, in gruelling conditions.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

LondonSports, LYBL and Mets book a place in European qualifiers

BSUK hosted the 2017 edition of the UK Little League Qualifiers at a sun-drenched Farnham Park on the weekend of 17-18 June, with places in Europe/Africa Little League qualification tournaments at stake in the different age groups and the winners of Europe/Africa will go on to play in Little League World Series tournament later in the summer. As temperatures moved above 30 degrees, 17 teams from across the country gathered to compete across five different categories for the chance to be crowned as a UK Little League National Champion.

Here is a recap of the final scores, standings and confirmation of the winners qualifying for the Europe/Africa Qualification phase.

U17/SENIORS

Group Games
London Mets 7, LondonSports 6
LondonSports 24, Herts Red Kites 1
London Mets 9, Herts Red Kites 6

Group Standings
London Mets (2-0)
LondonSports (1-1)
Herts Red Kites (0-2)

Final
LondonSports 5, London Mets 3

U15/JUNIORS

Group Games
LondonSports 14, Brighton Fireballs 3
London Mets 12, Brighton Fireballs 2
London Mets 8, LondonSports 6

Group Standings
London Mets (2-0)
LondonSports (1-1)
Brighton Fireballs (0-2)

Final
London Mets 13, LondonSports 10

U13/MAJORS

Group Games
LondonSports 7, Herts Harriers 4
LYBL Bulldogs 11, London Mets 1
London Mets 6, LondonSports 5
LYBL Bulldogs 29, Herts Harriers 0
LYBL Bulldogs 19, LondonSports 3
London Mets 13, Herts Harriers 3

Group Standings
LYBL Bulldogs (3-0)
London Mets (2-1)
LondonSports (2:1)
Herts Harriers (0-3)

Final
LYBL Bulldogs 10, London Mets 0

U11/MINORS

Group Games
LYBL Bulldogs 12, LondonSports Two 2
LondonSports One 14, LYBL Bulldogs 4
LondonSports One 6, LondonSports Two 0

Group Standings
LondonSports One (2-0)
LYBL Bulldogs (1-1)
LondonSports Two (0-2)

Final
LYBL Bulldogs 8, LondonSports One 3

U11/COACH PITCH

Round-Robin
Leicester Blue Sox 8, Brighton 1
LondonSports 16, Brighton Fireballs 11
London Mets 14, Leicester Blue Sox 10
Leicester Blue Sox 5, LondonSports 5
Brighton Fireballs 25, London Mets 6
London Mets 11, LondonSports 11

Group Standings
LondonSports (1-0-2)
London Mets (1-1-1)
Leicester Blue Sox (1-1-1)
Brighton Fireballs (1-2)

by Zack Longboy

Battling the ‘Enfield hop’

London Capitals, 11 – Herts Falcons, 9

In a game where forfeit (and consequently the dashing of any playoff berth hopes) looked likely, the Herts Falcons battled adversity all day long in the Father’s Day matchup with the London Capitals.

Continue reading “Battling the ‘Enfield hop’” →

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts U17 and U13 teams all set for UK Little League Qualifiers

This weekend teams from across the country will head to Farnham Park in Slough for the UK Little League qualifying games. This includes the Herts Under-17 and Under-13 teams. They go into the competition as outsiders but this season they have already shown that they are capable of beating any of the favourites.

The draw has not been kind on the Herts teams and they will be facing the big guns in the group stages.

Saturday, 17 June 2017

9am – London Mets v Herts Red Kites (U17)
12pm – Herts Red Kites v London Sports (U17
12pm – London Mets v Herts Harriers (U13)
6pm – Herts Harriers v LYBL (U13)

Sunday, 18 June 2017

12pm – Herts Harriers v London Sports (U13)
3pm – U17 Final and U13 Final

Games to be played at Farnham Park, Beaconsfield Rd, Slough SL2 3BP.

The winner in each age group will progress to the European qualifying stage where they will face the best European teams. The winner of the European phase will be on their way to the USA along with the best teams in the world to determine the Little League World Series Champions of 2017. The World Series games will be shown live on ESPN attracting millions of viewers across the globe.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Hawks fall to Latin Boys in 9

Michael Cresswell reporting from Grovehill Ballpark, Hemel Hempstead

The Hawks were looking to restart another winning streak on Sunday but unfortunately fell to the Double-A South leaders East London Latin Boys by a score of 14-7.

Both teams were eager to see who would take the seasonal series with the Hawks and Latin Boys splitting the last series and ending both teams’ unbeaten streaks. The Hawks streak ended that day after an impressive run of 24 games won. The game was considered to be a pitchers duel with Jeffrey Aguilar starting for the Latin Boys and Ernie Ayala starting for the Hawks. Both pitchers ERA under 4 at the start of the game.

The opening inning showed that the Latin Boys’ hard-hitting lineup was still showing from the last game as they managed to score 2 runs from solid line drives to the outfield. The Hawks defence also started to flourish, including the first of two double plays in the game, both with shortstop Louis Hare involved to end the inning.

Ayala’s stellar pitching held the runs down and stopped the running game with his elite pickoff move however the strong bats from the Latin Boys was illustrated in a 2-run homerun by First Baseman, Alberto Novas, to extend their lead in the second inning.

The Hawks offence started to come alive in the middle part of the game with three runs with skipper Greg Bochan starting it off himself by managing to get on base with a walk. The Hawks bats also came alive with hits from the great Bulgarian Duo of Aspi Dimitrov and Ilya Dimitrov, the latter managing to hit a laser of a line drive down the left field line to bag himself a double to break up the stellar form of Aguilar.

Pitching was not only a key part of this game but defence as well with both teams putting on performances to stop base hits and runs. Slugger Gilberto Medina had a solid line drive caught by the Latin Boys’s Center Fielder’s diving effort and quick turn efforts made in the infield from the Hawks to stop sharp grounders. Ayala’s day was done after five innings and the ball was given to Louis Hare to come in for relief.

Unfortunately this was not enough to stop the Latin Boys with the side managing to get on base and drive these in with the longball. Pitcher Jeffrey Aguilar and Outfielder Aneudy Vargas putting the ball over the wall in a rare fashion that the Hawks had not been used to. British Baseball getting treated to a 4 HR game, however none for the Hawks.

Batters from the mighty Hawks managed to get on base in the latter parts with strong walks from Hunter Devine, base hits from Michael Cresswell, Louis Hare & Jonathon Lewys to drive additional runs, totalling 7 runs from 6 hits in the game. The game ended 14-7 after 9 innings.

Though the defeat was bitter, the Hawks managed to keep morale high by having a barbeque after and included some players ending up in a hot tub! The next game will be the second double header as they welcome the Daws Hill Spitfires to Grovehill Ballpark on the New Diamond with first pitch at 12:00pm. Can they start off another winning streak that could possibly beat that incredible 24 game winning streak? Only time will tell!