Category: Headlines

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts Falcons ace Abel Salas is National Baseball League MVP

Abel Salas launches another home run (photo by Paul Holdrick)

Project COBB has published the 2014 National Baseball League award winners in the various categories and Herts Falcons’ ace Abel Salas has scooped up all three of the Most Valuable Player awards. These are the most prestigious prizes awarded to individual players and are the equivalent of MLB’s MVP and Cy Young Awards.

MOST VALUABLE BATTER

Abel Salas’ outstanding offensive numbers secured the Most Valuable Batter Award after he led or was among the top players in all of the main batting categories. He had the highest slugging average (.848), tied with Maikel Azcuy of the Essex Arrows for most home runs (3), third in batting average (.435) behind Martin Tucker of the London Mets (.525) and Fraser Duggan of the Bracknell Blazers (.522), fourth in on-base average (.567), third in runs batted in (20). We understand that the formula used to determine the winner indicated that the race for the Most Valuable Batter title was very close and Abel Salas’ grand slam home run against the South London Pirates in the final game of the season may have clinched it.

MOST VALUABLE PITCHER

NBL batters struggled to make contact with Abel Salas’ pitches all season long (photo by Paul Holdrick)

In the pitching category Abel Salas was just as impressive. He led in wins (5) a 4-way tie, strike-outs (56), was second in earned run average (3.73) behind Pietro Sollecito (2.95) of the London Mets. It was the strike outs per 9 innings where Salas stood apart from the rest with 12.3. We have to go back to 2009 when Cody Cain had 12.8 and 2008 when Ryan Bird led this category with a mind-boggling 16.9.

BEST TWO-WAY PLAYER

If the top batting and pitching awards were very closely fought, the Most Valuable Two-Way Player Award must have been easier to determine given Abel Salas’ offensive and defensive numbers. It is very rare for a player to dominate both the batting and the pitching categories. Baseball has become a game where players specialise in one or the other so Salas’ feat is significant. We have to go back to 2005 and 2002 when Simon Pole won both the Most Valuable Batter and Most Valuable Pitcher Awards playing for the London Warriors.

FIELDING AWARDS

Ryan Hackel filled the hole in the Falcons infield left after the departure of Robbie Unsell and Xavi Gonzalez (photo by Paul Holdrick)

The Herts Falcons’ biggest weakness in 2104 was fielding. It was the main reason for the team missing out on the postseason for the first time in 3 years. However, it is not a surprise to see Ryan Hackel named as the best shortstop in the NBL this season. Hack’s arrival at the end of May played a key role in bringing the team back into the playoff race after a string of injuries to key players resulted in the team’s poor start of the season.

FALCONS AMONGST THE LEADERS

John Blose played hard all season long (photo by Will Baxter)

John Blose led in the Runs Scored category (27) to round of a season in which his numbers have exploded compared to 2013, making him one of the most productive players for the Herts Falcons. Jamie Gregory’ batting average was .429 which puts him fourth overall in that category. There were two Herts Falcons players whose season was cut short due to injury to Cris Hiche and transfer to the USA in the case of Ryan Bird. If their season was not cut short, they would have been right up with the leaders. Cris Hiche had a batting average of .778 with 1 home run from 14 plate appearances. Ryan Bird batted 1.000 with 1 home run from his 5 plate appearances. 17-year-old Will Zucker also impressed with a batting average of .571 from 7 at bats in his NBL debut season, while another Herts youngster Carlos Casal Jr had an average of .400 from his 25 at bats – a very promising sign for the future of the club.

WHAT WILL 2015 BRING?

In 2013 Robbie Unsell won the Most Valuable Pitcher and Most Valuable Two-Way Player Awards. This was his final season in the NBL as he moved to America. Ryan Bird won the Most Valuable Batter Award and also moved across the Atlantic shortly after the 2013 season. 2013 team MVP Xavi Gonzalez signed with Stuttgart Reds. 2014 was Abel Salas’ final season in the NBL as he too will be moving to the USA so there is a trend for the Herts Falcons to attract the league’s star players and lose them shortly after that, however the noise coming out of the club’s front office is that there are positive signs that the Falcons will be able to make the player acquisitions needed to get back in the playoff race in 2015. We will keep you updated as soon as the club makes any announcements in the coming months as we build up to the 2015 season.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Red Roosters win Hunlock Series after late-inning drama

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A heavyweight battle between pitcher Jamie Gregory and batter Cris Hiche in the final of the 2014 Hunlock Series

The Red Roosters came back from behind in both the semi-final and the final to win the 2014 Hunlock Series.

The day began with the Blue Dogs’ shock win over White Lightning in the Quarter-Final elimination game. They had a win-loss percentage of just .146 finishing bottom in the league stage of the competition miles behind the other three teams. Everyone had written them off ahead of the elimination stage of the Series and they took full advantage of the low expectations. Their opponent was third-placed White Lightning. They were missing several key players and struggled to respond to the Blue Dogs’ onslaught who won convincingly 15-7.

Next up for the team in blue was a semi-final elimination game against the Red Roosters who didn’t want to take any chances and put their ace pitcher, Zack Longboy, on the mound. Despite the Blue Dogs taking an early 3-0 lead, this proved to be just a hiccup for the Roosters. They moved up a gear and eased to a 15-5 win, but the Dogs should feel satisfied that they reached the semi-final against all the odds.

The stage was set. It was down to two teams – Black Widows and Red Roosters. The managers went with Lee Manning and Jamie Gregory as their starting pitchers, respectively. The expectations of a pitchers’ duel didn’t materialise. It was all about offense as both teams put together big rallies. After three innings the Black Widows took a 7-6 lead thanks to a 3-run home run by second-baseman Fraser Duggan hit over the right-centerfield wall.

Both teams brought in their relief pitchers who did very well to quieten the bats, but not before the Roosters drove in 3 runs to take a 9-7 lead. A George Blaskett single in the penultimate inning reduced the deficit to 8-9. Fraser Duggan came within a few feet of his second home run of the game which would have scored 2 runs, however left-fielder Takaya Miki showed great range with a leaping catch at the wall for the third out with Red Roosters holding onto their slender 9-8 lead.

Black Widows brought in leftie closer Cris Hiche. He was faultless recording three quick outs to take the game into the bottom of the final inning. Mike Cattermole led off with a single. Dan Whitton was hit by pitch and very quickly the Black Widows had the tying run on third and winning run on second base. The infield moved in and so did the outfield. Jimmy McCormick made solid contact but grounded straight to shortstop Carlos Casal who managed to make the play and get the out at home. Relief pitcher Simon Langton was doing very well and he managed to strikeout the next batter for the second out of the inning. With two outs and the tying and winning runs on third and second base, respectively, this was the type of situation in which Black Widows would bring on their walk-off hero Colin Whitton who has had a 1.000 batting average (2-for-2) in these do-or-die situations in the previous two weeks of the Series, but he wasn’t available on this occasion. It came down to Aspi Dimitrov to try to do a “Colin Whitton”. He swung at the first pitch taking the ball to left-centerfield where Takaya Miki was on hand again to make another running catch to end the game and secure the Hunlock Series Championship for the Reds.

These were the final baseball games of 2014. Hopefully these enjoyable Hunlock Series will help players survive the dark and cold months of winter which will be upon us soon. 2015 Spring Training seems far away. There may not be any baseball action until then, but the members of Herts Baseball Club know that the club will shortly be entering a period of frantic off-field activity which could shape the 2015 season and could prove to be the difference between success and failure both on and off the field next year. For more information about getting involved as a member of staff or as a board member, contact Herts Baseball Club.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Widows come out on top in 3-horse race. Managers face risk-reward dilemma on Sunday

(photo by Paul Holdrick)

The Red Roosters were on the verge of an incredible achievement, but they slipped up in the final league game missing out on the top spot. Despite this they can be very pleased with their effort as they leaped over White Lightning to avoid the dreaded Wild Card game on the final day of the 2014 Hunlock Series.

The Roosters started the day in third place, three games back on the leaders with 12 games remaining. They had the best possible start with four wins over the Blue Dogs and then two wins and two draws against the league-leading Black Widows. This elevated them into the first place for the first time in the Series.

 

It came down to the final series of the day between the Reds and the Whites who were also in the running for top spot after three wins earlier in the day over the Blue Dogs. At the end the Reds and Whites split the series 2-2 which was the worst-case-scenario for their hopes of a first place finish. All they could do now was to hope for a Blue Dogs win over the Black Widows. They were halfway there after picking up a well-deserved 1-0 win. They followed this by taking a 2-run lead in the final game. With two outs, up stepped Black Widows manager, Colin Whitton. In the previous week he played a key role with a walk-off hit. This time he came through a 12-pitch at-bat which ended with a hit which drove in the tying run. Another week-one walk-off hero was about to step up to the plate. Jimmy McCormick added to his reputation with yet another walk-off hit to give the Back Widows a 3-2 win which secured first place for them.

Click to view scoreboard

Click to view standings

ELIMINATION GAMES NEXT SUNDAY, 28 SEPTEMBER

This means that the Black Widows will go into the elimination phase of the Hunlock Series in pole position. They can sit back next Sunday and wait while the other 3 teams have to go through two gruelling games.

First up fourth-placed Blue Dogs will play third-placed While Lightning. Whoever wins this game will face the second-placed Red Roosters and the winner of this game will go into the final against the Black Widows.

Each of these three games will be played over 6 innings. The 9-outs restriction on pitchers will still be in force therefore the Blues, Whites and Reds managers will have some very difficult decisions to make as they try to save their ace pitchers for the Final, but they need to get there first. It will be very tempting for White Lighting to put one of their secondary pitchers in the game against the Blue Dogs who are seen as the underdogs. This could provide a lifeline to the team in Blue, so don’t write them off just yet.

We are all set for an exciting end to the season in front of a large audience as the three games will be played on one diamond, unlike the games in the first two weeks.

Click to view games schedule

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Bulldogs, Mets and Redbacks are the 2014 HFT winners

This was a record-breaking Herts Futures Tournament with 17 teams entering the four different age divisions.

UNDER-17

In the Under-17 Division the national champions, LYBL Bulldogs, didn’t show any mercy as they swept their opponents winning all four of their games. Their game against the Herts Harriers proved to be the deciding one. Both teams went into the game with 100% records and the HFT title on the line. Five Bulldogs came home in the first inning without reply to complete a perfect day for them. Herts Harriers managed to put that loss behind with a 4-0 win over the London Mets in the final game of the day to take the second place in the Under-17 standings.

UNDER-14

For the first time in the seven-year history of the competition all four teams in the Under-14 division ended up with identical win-loss records. The tie had to be broken on the “fewest conceded runs” rule. This meant that the LYBL Bulldogs secured the Under-14 HFT title as their team had allowed only 2 runs in their 3 games. London Mets and London Sports were in joint-second-place with 5 runs allowed. The Herts Cardinals conceded 11 so they had to accept forth place despite having the same won-loss record as the winners.

UNDER-12

The number of runs conceded was also the deciding factor in the Under-12 Division Pool A. The LYBL Bulldogs allowed 3 runs fewer than the Horsham Yankees and reached the final where they met the London Mets in a repeat of the National baseball Championship Under-12 Final. This proved to be a pitchers’ duel ending with a score of 0-0 which meant that the Mets were the Under-12 HFT Winners as they had a better win-loss record over the course of the competition.

UNDER-10

This was the first year that Under-10 teams entered the HFT and they produced arguably the most enthralling games. The Redbacks overcame the Mets in their best of 3 series to win it.

Click to view the full scoreboard and standings in all divisions.

GET YOUR PERSONALISED PHOTOS

The HFT was covered by DE Photo and participants can get their personalised photos, framed or otherwise, by visiting the HFT photo gallery (click to view)

2015 BASEBALL SEASON

The Herts Futures Tournament has rounded off the 2014 British youth baseball season in style. Teams up and down the country will now have to somehow survive the winter months without baseball. Thankfully Major League Baseball is about to enter its most exciting phase and we can follow the drama of the postseason on tv.

Players of all ages can contact Herts Baseball Club with a view to signing up for the 2015 season or giving baseball a try when the teams return to the ballpark in the new year.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

17 teams heading for Herts this Saturday

17 teams will be in action at the 2014 Herts Futures Tournament (HFT) which will take place this Saturday, 20 September 2014. This breaks the previous record of 15 team entries. This year, in addition to the U17, U14 and U12 divisions, an U10 division has been added as clubs expand their programmes to cover much younger age groups then we have been used to in the past.

 

U17

U14

Herts Harriers (U17)

Herts Cardinals (U14)

Horsham All Stars (U17)

London Mets (U14)

Hove Tuesday (U17)

London Sports (U14)

London Mets (U17)

LYBL Bulldogs (U14)

LYBL Bulldogs (U17)

U12

U10

Essex Arrows (U12)

Forest Glade RedBacks (U10)

Herts All Stars (U12)

London Mets (U10)

Horsham Yankees (U12)

London Mets (U12)

London Sports (U12)

The opening ceremony will take place at 10:30am. The first games begin at 11am and continue into the early evening. To view the games schedule click here.

“Herts Baseball Club welcomes new players at any time of the year” said club president, Aspi Dimitrov. “Any children aged between 6 and 16 who are interested to give baseball a try should contact the club. It is not too late to take part in this event.”

Traditional Baseball snacks will be on offer including hot dogs, chilli dogs, big league chew, Krispy Kreme Donuts and more. Imported baseball merchandise will also be on sale at the Herts Baseball shop. Professional photographers DE Photo will be on hand to capture every player from every team in action and players and fans will have a chance to buy framed photos from the games instantly at the venue.

The HFT has been held every year since 2008 and is now a permanent fixture in the British baseball calendar. It brings together youth teams of all age groups from across the country for a day of baseball at one of the best baseball venues in the United Kingdom.

For more information about the event visit the Herts Futures Tournament homepage.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts youth teams bring back 2 bronze medals from the 2014 National Championships

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The Herts youth teams returned from the 2014 National Baseball Championships with two bronze medals on what was a fantastic occasion, as is always the case every September.

UNDER-17 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Herts Harriers went into the Semi-Final as the second seed out of the four teams which had reached this stage. They took the silver medal in 2013 and they were hoping to go one better, but ahead of these games they received two massive setbacks. Catcher Conner Brown suffered a hand-fracture in a non-baseball accident and at the same time the team had to say farewell to one of its key players, pitcher Tom Armstrong who has now moved to the USA.

Their semi-final opponent was the London Mets who went with their ace pitcher, the amazing Laura Hirai, fresh from an outstanding tour of the USA with the GB Under-17 National Team. With LYBL the potential opponent in the final for the winner, Herts decided to save ace pitcher, Zack Longboy, in the hope of reaching the final – a risky strategy but one which was necessary if the team was to stand a chance of succeeding in the final.

As expected, Mets pitcher, Laura Hirai, was very effective shutting out the Harriers in the first 4 innings. Herts’ starting pitcher Carlos Casal Jr. was doing well as the team kept in touch with the Mets trailing just 2-0 after 4 innings. But then disaster struck in the fifth inning. 11 London runs came home to score and there was no coming back from this as the Mets went on to win 13-1.

The Bronze Medal game between Herts Harriers and London Sports was declared an automatic win for Herts as the Little League rules in place this year placed pitching restrictions and the earlier Wild Card playoff and Semi-Final games left London Sports without any players eligible to pitch on Sunday under the rules.

The Herts U17 players and coaches will feel disappointed that they couldn’t fulfil their ambition of winning the U17 National Championship for the first time in Herts baseball history as they knew they had a team which could compete. They certainly gave everything on the day which is all that can be asked of the players in these big games. Most of these Herts players have played their last season in the under-17 league but, one thing is certain, they will be making headlines as they move into the big leagues in the coming years.

The LYBL Bulldogs beat the London Mets 9-4 in the Final.

UNDER-14 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

(photo by John Jansson)

Semi-Final: Herts Cardinals 1 London Mets 24 (click to view box scores)

As the Wild Card Winner, the Herts Cardinals faced the top seed, London Mets, in the U14 Semi-Final. It was always going to be a difficult task for the Cardinals to upset the odds against a team which beat all of their UK opponents and went through to the Little League European Qualifiers in Poland just two months ago. The Mets won convincingly with a score of 24-1.

(photo by John Jansson)

Bronze Medal Game: Herts Cardinals 6 London Sports 2 (click to view box scores)

In the Bronze Medal game Herts Cardinals came up against London Sports, a team which is always difficult to beat. The Cardinals needed all of their players to produce a top performance and they did.

Starting pitcher Mikey Sylvester took control from the first pitch. He went on to pitch a complete game one-hitter. 18 of the 21 outs came by way of a strikeout and he walked only 1 batter over the course of the game. Stats like these are incredible especially given the calibre of the opposition. The two runs scored by London Sports were unearned coming in after two overthrows in a dropped-third strike situation.

The London Sports pitching staff also produced excellent numbers. They struck out 13 batters and allowed only 6 hits and 3 walks.

With such efficient pitching the Herts Cardianls needed something special. Clutch hits from Shane Richards (2-4, HR, 2B, 3RBI, 2R), Mikey Sylvester (2-3, 2B(2), 2RBI, 2R), Ben Hitch (1-4, R), Adam Jansson (1-3, RBI) drove a total of 6 runs one of which was Thomas Garton who managed to get himself on base twice. Shane Richards’ 2-run home run was his third of the postseason.

It was very fitting that Mikey Sylvester managed to close the game with 3 strikeouts. The final out came on his final pitch of the pitch-count limit regulations.

The London Mets are the U14 National Champions after a 7-4 win over the LYBL Bulldogs.

UNDER-12 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

This was the first appearance in the National Championship Semi-Final for the Herts U12 team. They came up against the favourites LYBL Bulldogs and had the best possible start taking a lead which they held on to for the first 3 innings. With the score at 5-4 the Bulldogs had a big inning to take a 9-4 lead. Spirited comeback by Herts saw them reduce the deficit to 9-7. They may have been able to regain the lead but in two consecutive innings left the bases loaded. The Bulldogs went on to win it 13-7 to reach the U12 Final which they won 7-3 against the London Mets.

In the Bronze medal game Herts U12 lost 13-3 against London Sports.

Despite losing both of their games, the Herts U12 team should be very proud of how well they performed against the toughest teams in the country. The team has grown together over the last two years made up of players who have had little or no experience prior to joining Herts so it is exciting to see the U12 coaching staff develop these players to this very high standard.

HERTS FUTURES TOURNAMENT

The National Baseball Championships are now in the history books, but the youth teams from around the country have one more big tournament before baseball takes its winter break. The Herts Futures Tournament is expecting a record number of teams this Saturday 20 September at Grovehill Ballpark in Herts. The HFT games schedule will be published over the next 48 hours.

 

by Joe Gray

Osborn closing in on milestone. Azcuy sets new British baseball record by claiming fifth home-run title.

written by Joe Gray

Maikel Azcuy (Essex Arrows) tied with Abelardo Salas (Herts Falcons) for the 2014 National Baseball League home-run title, with both players hitting three long-balls. This is the fifth year in which Azcuy has been joint or outright British home-run champion, which pushes him past the previous record mark of four titles set by Simon Pole (London Warriors), a British Baseball Hall of Famer. A list of all players with recorded stats in modern British baseball history, ranked by home-run titles, can be viewed here.

The 2014 crown is Azcuy’s third straight home-run title and his fourth in five seasons. His first came back in 2007, as a Croydon Pirate. Azcuy’s career home-run total now moves to 33, two shy of Pole’s all-time record.

Mike Osborn on the mound for the Herts Falcons at the London Mets (photo by Paul Holdrick)

The 2014 season also saw Michael Osborn (Herts Falcons), move to within 35 regular-season plate appearances of the 1000 mark. Only Alan Bloomfield (like Pole, a British Baseball Hall of Famer) has more than 1000 recorded plate appearances in modern British baseball history. Osborn, a two-way stand-out, has now played 17 seasons in the top tier.

Finally, Matt Gilbert (Southern Nationals) has becomes the first player in modern British baseball history to pass a half-century of recorded complete games, moving to a total of 54 with six this season. Gilbert now has 408 career strike-outs, and if he returns next season his first strike-out will draw him level with Cody Cain’s modern British record of 409.

About Project COBB

The Project for the Chronicling of British Baseball (Project COBB) is an online collaboration aimed at restoring the record of British baseball’s past and preserving its present. Click here to go to the Project COBB website.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Black Widows lead the way in the Hunlock Series as teams use all available ninth-inning game strategies at their disposal.

(photo by Paul Holdrick)

After the official photocall, there wasn’t much time for teams to settle gently into the opening games of the Hunlock Series as the first thing they had to do was deal with some very awkward “ninth inning” game situations. This year the league stage of the competition has adopted the “ninth inning” format where each game lasts one inning only, which means that every game recreates the drama of the ninth inning.

Abel Salas and Lee Manning celebrate on a good day for the Black Widows (photo by Paul Holdrick)

The Black Widows and Red Roosters adapted to the format quickest as they quickly put wins on the scoreboard against White Lightning and Blue Dogs, respectively. White Lightning managed to recover and by the end of the day’s action they were sitting comfortably in second place after taking 3 wins out of their 4 games against the Red Roosters pushing them into third place.

The Black Widows had only the third best offence but their runs always seemed to come at the right time. Walk off hits by Jimmy McCormick and manager Colin Whitton, were just two of the timely hits by the team in black. They had the best defence in this first round of games allowing only 5 runs in their 12 games. White Lightning had the best offence scoring 27 runs.

Gilberto Molina wins the battle with Joseph Osborne-Brade on this occasion (photo by Paul Holdrick)

The Blue Dogs find themselves in last place 8 games back on the leaders. Their first round draft pick, Conner Brown, was on the DL so this must have had an effect, but one way or the other they would need to consider ways of tightening up their defence and pitching if they are going to climb up the standings. They conceded 27 runs in 12 innings.

After the first few games the teams were becoming more acclimatised to the “Ninth Inning” format and we saw defensive alignments adjust to different situations, with corners guarding lines and outfielders playing deep to stop lead-off doubles, infields playing in to stop the winning run scoring from third, sacrifice bunts to put runners into scoring positions, pinch runners, pinch hitters, delayed steals with runners on first and third to bring the runner from third base home, squeeze plays, outfields playing in to guard against runners scoring on a sacrifice fly. We even had an extreme shift attempted by the Blue Dogs. With the winning run on third base, third baseman Vincent O’Brien suggested bringing right fielder, Felix Maldonado, to stand behind the catcher to backup any passed balls or wild pitches. The umpiring crew disallowed this defensive shift as all players, with the exception of the catcher, must be in fair territory when the pitch is delivered. The only strategy which we didn’t see today was the intentional walk. It can be a very effective move in an effort to avoid facing a difficult batter or to put runners on base to create force-out situations and/or help induce double plays.

Plays of the Day

• Shortstop Ryan Hackel 360 degree spin and throw to get the runner at first base after a ball hit hard to his left.

• Jamie Gregory homerun off pitcher Ryan Hackel

• Colin Whitton walk off hit

• Ilya Dimitrov diving catch to rob Rob Jones of a double

Hunlock Series links

• Standings

• Scoreboard and upcoming schedule

Next Up

The Hunlock Series takes a two-week break as Herts will be represented in all three divisions (Under-17, Under-14 and Under-12) of the National Youth Baseball Championships to be played at Farnham Park this weekend, 13-14 September. The next Hunlock Series games are on Sunday, 21 September. Players can still sign up to play in the Series by contacting the club. They will be drafted into the teams at the next Free Agents Draft scheduled for Friday, 19 September.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Walk-off homerun clinches U14 national semi-final place for Herts Cardinals. Herts U12s are also through.

There was a double celebration for Herts Baseball Club as its Under-14 and Under-12 teams secured a place in this Saturday’s National Baseball Championship (NBC) semi-final.

UNDER-14

Herts Cardinals 19 Brentwood Bucks 8 (click to view box scores)

Three teams went into the U14 Wild Card Playoff contest which was held at Grovehill Ballpark in Hertfordshire. The winner was to be decided in a round-robin tournament format. First up were the Herts Cardinals and the Brentwood Junior Bucks. Shane Richards started on the mound for Herts and he produced a solid performance pitching three no-hit innings and striking out 5. There was an initial period of pitcher and catcher trying to get into a rhythm and Brentwood took advantage of a number of walks. Going into the fourth inning Herts had a 10-6 lead helped by a 3-run home run by Shane Richards who went 4-for-4 with 5 RBI in the game.

Shane Richards reached his regulation pitch limit and he was relieved in the fourth inning by Mikey Sylvester who pitched excellent two innings allowing only 1 run on 1 hit and striking out 5. That enabled Herts to build a commanding lead and win the game 19-8. Sylvester’s pitching performance was matched by his batting as he went 3-for-3 which included a double, 4 runs and 2 stolen bases. Ben Hitch (2-3, RBI), Ryan Pocock (1-1, R) and Kento Sasaki (1-3, 2RBI) also had a good game at the plate.

Brentwood Bucks 24 Essex Redbacks 22 (click to view box scores)

The Essex Redbacks went into this Wild Card Playoff as the favourites. They had a comfortable 20-16 lead going into the final inning of the game. Brentwood needed an epic comeback and that’s exactly what they produced. They drove in 8 runs to turn the game on its head and go into the bottom of the final inning with a 4-run lead. Alfie Denwood (4-5, 4RBI), Matt Law (2-4, RBI) and Ethan Brown (3-3, RBI) stood out in the Bucks batting lineup.

The pressure was now on the Essex Redbacks to come from behind. Brentwood recorded two quick outs, but the Redbacks kept going. They scored two runs, but at the end it was not enough as a diving catch by Elliot Burke in centerfield ended the game with a 24-22 win for the Bucks.

Essex Redbacks 13 Herts Cardinals 14 (click to view box scores)

Herts Cardinals knew that a win in the final game against the Redbacks would secure a place in the National Championships Semi-Final for the first time since 2011. The Redbacks were not out of it. A win with a sufficient run-difference would be enough for them.

Kento Sasaki was Herts’ starting pitcher and he was on fire from the very first pitch recording 3 strikeouts in the first inning. Another two Redbacks struck-out in the second inning, but Sasaki seemed to be troubled by his arm. Manager Jake Caress decided to take him out of the game as a precaution. Theo Longboy took Sasaki’s place on the mound in the pressure-cooker situation of a deciding playoff game. The main problem for most of the teams was walking too many batters, but Theo Longboy remained composed all the way to the end of the game. She got into a pitching groove and even added gentle grunting to her pitching delivery, something which we would expect to hear on the tennis courts of Wimbledon or the US Open. It certainly worked. Perhaps it will become her trademark delivery.

Going into the final inning the Redbacks had a 13-10 lead. They struck out the first two Herts batters. Ryan Pocock singled and was driven home by Theo Longboy’s base-hit. With runners on first and second, up stepped Shane Richards to drive the ball deep down the right field line for a walk-off 3-run home run to the delight of the Herts fans. That was the second home run of the day for the Herts Cardinals.  Mikey Sylvester hit a 2-run bomb in the fourth inning.

They can now look forward to a semi-final clash against the reigning national champions and top seeds, the London Mets, this Saturday, 13 September at Farnham Park in Slough (see game schedule below).

UNDER-12

(photo by Vicky Sinclair)

The BBF has added the Under-12 division to the National Baseball Championships for the first tiem this year. LYBL, London Mets and London Sports have already booked their semi-final places. There was one last place available and the Herts All Stars and Brentwood Bucks met in a double-header to determine who will take it.

24 hours before these vital games, Herts received a blow with ace pitcher Aaron Witter out of the game due to illness. The rest of the team knuckled down and produced an excellent performance. They clinched a 12-5 win in the first game followed by a 13-6 win in the second. This sends them into the U12 Semi-Final where they will face the top seed, LYBL Bulldogs.

(photo by Vicky Sinclair)

NATIONAL BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS GAMES SCHEDULE

The outcome of the Wild Card Playoffs means that for the first time Herts will be represented in all three age divisions (U17, U14 and U12) of the National Youth Baseball Championships on Saturday, 13 September.

The semi-finals and finals in all three age groups will be played at Farnham Park in Slough over two days as follows:

Saturday, 13 September

Time

Division

Away

Home

Notes

10.00am

Under 17

Tornadoes/Redbacks

London Sports

U17 Wild card

1.00pm

Under 17

London Mets

Herts Harriers

U17 Semi-final 1

4.00pm

Under 17

Wildcard winner

LYBL Bulldogs

U17 Semi-final 2

10.30am

Under 14

London Sports

LYBL Bulldogs

U14 Semi-final 1

1.30pm

Under 14

Herts Cardinals

London Mets

U14 Semi-final 2

11.00am

Under 12

London Sports

London Mets

U12 Semi-final 1

2.00pm

Under 12

Herts All Stars

LYBL Bulldogs

U12 Semi-final 2

Sunday, 14 September

Time

Division

Away

Home

Notes

10.00am

Under 17

Loser SF (lower seed)

Loser SF (higher seed)

U17 3rd/4th Game

1.00pm

Under 17

Winner SF (lower seed)

Winner SF (higher seed)

U17 YNBC Final

10.30am

Under 14

Loser SF (lower seed)

Loser SF (higher seed)

U14 3rd/4th Game

1.30pm

Under 14

Winner SF (lower seed)

Winner SF (higher seed)

U17 YNBC Final

11.00am

Under 12

Loser SF (lower seed)

Loser SF (higher seed)

U12 3rd/4th Game

2.00pm

Under 12

Winner SF (lower seed)

Winner SF (higher seed)

U12 YNBC Final

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

British Baseball’s 2014 Youth Playoffs coming to Hemel Hempstead this Saturday

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Britain’s youth baseball teams are about to enter the most exciting part of the season as they battle for the national title.

UNDER-14 PLAYOFFS

London Mets, LYBL Bulldogs and London Sports have already booked their semi-final places in the Under-14 Division based on being the top three seeded teams. Brentwood Junior Bucks, Essex Redbacks and the Herts Cardinals will battle it out this Saturday, September 6, to determine who will take the last available ticket to the Under-14 semi-finals. They will play in a round-robin format with the winner progressing to the semi-final where they will face the top seed, London Mets. These Wild Card Playoff games will be played at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead (click for venue details).

10.30am, Herts Cardinals @ Brentwood Jnr Bucks

1.00pm Brentwood Jnr Bucks @ Essex Redbacks

3.30pm Essex Redbacks @ Herts Cardinals

UNDER-12 PLAYOFFS

In recent years the British Baseball Federation has staged a National Championship only for the Under-17 and Under-14 divisions. This year they have added the Under-12 division. Similar to the Under-14s, the top three seeds LYBL, London Mets and London Sport have been given a place in the semi-finals. The fourth semi-finalist will be either Herts or Brentwood. They will go head-to-head this Saturday again at Grovehill Ballpark. The two teams have never met before so they will not know what to expect. The winner will be determined over a two-game series.  The prize for that team will be a semi-final against the top seed, LYBL Bulldogs.

11.00am, Brentwood Jnr Bucks @ Herts All Stars

1.30pm, Herts All Stars @ Brentwood Jnr Bucks

FOOD, DRINKS AND MORE

Admission to the Under-14 and Under-12 Wild Card Playoffs is free and fans and families can enjoy the baseball action with traditional baseball snacks which will be on offer including hot dogs, Krispy Kreme donuts, Big League Chew and other snacks and drinks. Baseball gloves, bats, bags, and other merchandise will also be on offer at the retail outlets at Grovehill Ballpark.

UNDER-17

The Herts Harriers have booked their place in the Under-17 National Championship Semi-Final on the basis of being the 2013 runner-up. They will face the London Mets on 13 September at Farnham Park in a repeat of the 2013 semi-final.