Category: Headlines

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Playoff race still wide open. Falcons have fate in their own hands.

The Falcons have reached the halfway point of the season with a record of 4 wins and 8 losses standing two games back from the playoff places. Manager, Lee Manning, will be looking for a big effort from his players in the second half of the NBL season. Despite the difficult start of the season, largely due to a series of injuries, the Falcons remain upbeat as their playoff hopes are very much alive and they have their fate in their own hands.

They currently find themselves in sixth place and need to move up two places to secure a playoff place. The Bracknell Blazers are currently fifth, just one game ahead of the Falcons so a sweep against them on 27 July will help them move ahead of Bracknell. The Nationals are in fifth place, two games ahead. A sweep for the Falcons in their doubleheader at the Nats on August 3 will see them move into the playoff zone if they can score 4 runs more than the Nats in that doubleheader. This is due to the league’s tie-break rules which state that if teams end with the same number of wins and losses and have identical head-to-head record, the tie will be broken by looking at the who has conceded the fewest runs in games between the tied teams. The Nats conceded 9 while the Falcons conceded 12 on Sunday so Herts will need to turn that minus-three head-to-head run differential in their favour on August 3.

The London Mets, currently third and 3 games ahead of the Falcons, are also within reach. To go above the Mets in the NBL standings the Falcons will need to win both games of their doubleheader coming up next for Herts on 13 July.

Team

W

L

%

GB

RF

RA

Southampton

10

2

0.833

–

73

52

Essex

11

5

0.688

1

142

86

London Mets

8

6

0.571

3

110

97

Southern

7

7

0.500

4

74

82

Bracknell

6

8

0.429

5

72

78

Herts Falcons

4

8

0.333

6

87

114

SL Pirates

2

12

0.143

9

56

105

In summary, the Falcons can overtake any of these 3 teams, but they even have some room for error as they only need to overtake two out of these three teams. The head-to-head meetings with these three teams will be massive occasions, but the race may be turned on its head by other results. It all makes for an exciting second half of the season for Herts fans.

 

by Rob Jones

Dukes beat Raptors to the punch, claim first win

The Herts Raptors have suffered a torrid time in recent weeks. A close game which they led against the London Musketeers fell away in the final stages; they scored 20 runs against last year’s beaten finalists Haverhill but were undone by errors; and a rally against Tonbridge was snuffed out in a game which saw unwelcome fireworks within the team.

Now the visit of the Richmond Dukes offered the chance for the first win of the season. The Dukes were without a win so far – but it was never going to be easy.

Despite the perfect sun-kissed conditions, the early signs were inauspicious. Star centre-fielder Joseph Osborne Brade took a line drive straight in the face during the warm-up, and was ultimately patched up in hospital. Thankfully, he is fine, but the whiff of a curse hung over the diamond.

Young Charlie Mayhew was on the mound for the Raptors and the first inning was a mixed bag, with a couple of hits, a couple of walks and a strikeout. The Richmond Dukes scored three runs before they were closed down, with 2 runners left on base as Adrian Smithers caught a fly ball for the final out.

The Raptors hit back with one run of their own, and tied it up at 4-4 by the bottom of the second. Lead-off man Adam Landau Smithers did his job, getting on and stealing bases with abandon. He had 3 runs and four swiped bags by the end of the day.

As the game developed, Tomasz Kosak ended up the de facto leadoff, opening up three of the innings. He worked a series of walks which became runs as the Raptors managed to keeping adding just one more.

The bulk of the scoring came in the first few innings. Richmond had jumped out with 5 runs in the third and threatened to break it open. The Dukes’ rookie starting pitcher Stuart Doncaster was steady and straight and speedy and the home side’s bats never really got to grips with him.

But the Raptors stayed focused. The defense — which has had too many leaky moments so far this year — was mostly superb. Charlie Day at second base made a series of good plays. Kosak, who was moved from catcher to third base as part of a reshuffle, made the manager look like a genius with several excellent plays.

He took one spinning grounder at the second attempt and made an immense throw to get the runner by half a step, then hauled in an over-the-shoulder catch which appeared to be escaping from him all the time.

Herts’ relief pitcher Andrew Slater brought his seventies-style swagger to the mound, and battled hard to hold the Dukes to just 2 earned runs. Michael Cresswell came on in centre field as part of the changes and also made two crucial catches to keep Herts in the chase. By the middle of the seventh, it was 11-7 to Richmond.

There were frustratingly few good hits, though, as Stuart Doncaster continued dealing. First baseman Jeff Witter cracked one to centre to score a run, and shortstop Rob Jones — the only Raptor with a multi-hit game — drove one past the pitcher’s head to bring in another. But by then it was against Richmond’s veteran reliever Woo Kim, and time was running out.

The Raptors had thrown up zeroes three times with their good defense, but only once did they bring home more than one run. In the bottom of the ninth that left the score at 12-9, a tantalising target of scoring 3 to tie and 4 to win.

Today this was too tall an order. Although the Raptors were more aggressive in the box, Kim’s deceptive slow curves induced three balls in the air, and Richmond could celebrate.

The Herts Raptors co-manager Rob Jones was proud of the team’s effort. “This is the best 9 innings of baseball I have seen from us this year”, he said. “Everyone played a part and it was so close right to the end. We’re frustrated not to get the win, and it’s disappointing that the bats never really came alive. But that shouldn’t overshadow the good things that happened.”

Herts get an immediate chance to strike back — they travel to Richmond on Sunday for the return fixture.

 

by Daniel Levitt

Falcons fall agonizingly short, get swept by Nationals

Falcons’ rally caps couldn’t get them the run they needed in the final inning (photo by Paul Holdrick)

Daniel Levitt, reporting from Grovehill Ballpark

The Herts Falcons took on the Southern Nationals in a double header on Sunday, in what was the most anticipated series of the season thus far. Heading into the two games, both teams stood on the cusp of the playoff spots.

Soaked in glorious sunshine, Grovehill Ballpark was once again drenched in perfect playing conditions. The Falcons knew they would have to be at their very best to topple the reigning champion Nationals.

The Nationals opened Game 1 with one run in the top half of the first without even registering a hit, but the Falcons quickly answered with a run of their own in the bottom half of the inning, when Phil Clarke scored on a Jose Sosa double, who was then thrown out at third stretching for a triple.

The Nationals slowly built a solid three run lead by tacking on a run in each of the next three innings. But as the home team has done all season long, Herts battled back and climbed within one run in the fifth inning.

Carlos Velzaco got things started with a lead-off walk and when Clarke also got a free pass, Sosa delivered his second hit and RBI of the game. Abel Salas then walked to load the bases for power-man Darrin Ward.

First baseman Ward displayed a mature approach at the plate by getting on base any way possible. Instead of swinging aimlessly, Ward managed to frustrate the pitcher enough to draw a hit-by-pitch and make it a 4-3 contest.

It looked as though the game was out of reach when Nationals’ Moses Vasquez launched a two-run home run in the top of the sixth to make it a 6-3 deficit, but the Falcons once again fought back.

They added an RBI single courtesy of Clarke in the bottom of the sixth and, when Salas launched his second solo home run of the season, the Falcons were suddenly just one run down again.

Despite having a runner in scoring position with two outs, the Falcons would fall just short however.

Falcons’ starting pitcher, Michael Osborne, was unlucky to be the losing pitcher, but a couple of critical errors by the Falcons led to the crucial runs being scored. Sosa completed an inning of work on the mound, striking out two in the process.

Click here to view Game 1 box scores

Game 2 saw Abel Salas take the mound for the Falcons, coming off a majestic outing a fortnight ago against the South London Pirates. In the win over the Pirates, Salas pitched a complete game giving up just the single run. This week was another solid performance, coming up just short against a tougher line up.

The final game of the day was a different story with the Falcons leading for most of the way and the Nationals this time staging the late comeback. Heading into the bottom of the fourth tied at two, the Falcons opened up some daylight between their pesky opponents.

Velazco drew his second lead-off walk of the game and Liam Green followed by being hit by a pitch, and when John Blose drew the second walk of the inning, it led to a bases loaded situation for starting pitcher Salas. Just as he did a fortnight ago against the Pirates, Salas helped his own cause by cashing in two runs with a double to deep centre field.

Click here to view Game 2 box scores

After the game Falcons manager, Lee Manning, said of Salas, “he just goes to work every time”.

“He is integral to our team and what Herts Baseball is all about. Especially with the younger guys, he’s a great role model”.

Salas’ efforts weren’t quite enough this time around, as the Nationals slugged their second home run of the game in the sixth inning to tie it up, and then scored the go-ahead run in the seventh. Salas struck out a season high fourteen batters in seven innings.

The Mexican won’t be too crestfallen as the Falcons sit just two games outside of the playoff spots, with the team heading into a three week break before their next game.

The Falcons’ next game is a double header away to the London Mets (7-5 ), who currently sit in third place. Join us in Finsbury Park for what promises to be a crunch series for the Herts Falcons.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Fulford to make his Herts Falcons debut this Sunday


 

With the crucial doubleheader against the Harlow Nationals coming up this Sunday, Andrew Fulford has arrived from Florida at a perfect time for the Herts Falcons. In 2012 he played for the Herts Hawks as he arrived too late to meet the NBL postseason eligibility rule, so this Sunday will be his official debut for Herts in the National Baseball League.

After having to deal with a series of injuries in the first two months of the season, Herts Falcons manager, Lee Manning, now has the pleasant problem of having four catchers on his roster.  Andrew Fulford, Conner Brown, Phil Clark and Zac Malone are all high calibre catchers, but there are many other slots which need to be filled and all four catchers have the versatility to play in various other positions so, for coach Manning, this is a good problem to have.

Andrew Fulford is 23-years-old. He started playing when he was 4. After spending his early years in the Citrus Park Little League, Fulford went on to play for the varsity team at Sickles High School and later with Cambridge High School finishing as Florida Sate runners-up in 2009. During his career he has played under former MLB players Jody Reed, who played as second basemen for the Boston Red Sox, and Sam Marsonek who was a pitcher with the New York Yankees.

This Sunday’s doubleheader between the Herts Falcons and the Harlow Nationals will start at 12pm at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead. Admission is free.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Falcons vs Nats this Sunday – get ready for the storm

The Herts Falcons and Harlow Nationals have proven to be two of the top teams in the country in the previous two seasons.  This year both teams find themselves slightly off the pace with a winning percentage of less than .500, but results in the last few weeks suggest that they are mounting a major challenge to get into the postseason playoffs.

Last week the Nationals took a win against the high-flying Essex Arrows to deprive them of the top spot for now.  The Falcons did the same against the league-leading Southampton Mustangs and then swept the Pirates to move into fifth place in the standings.

Herts-vs-Harlow clashes always keep fans on the edge of their seats (photo by Richard Lee richardleephotography.org)

The rivalry between the Falcons and Nationals goes back to 2011 when a group of Herts members left the Hertfordshire club to found the Harlow Nationals.  They have dominated the NBL since then, winning the championship in all of the last three seasons since their inaugural year in 2011. Both teams know that they need to put a good run of wins starting this Sunday if they are going to qualify for the postseason this year.

The doubleheader begins at 12pm, this Sunday, 22 June, at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead. Admission is free.

 

HERTS

FALCONS

HARLOW NATIONALS

CLUB FACTS

1996

Year founded

2011

2

Adult baseball diamonds

1

0

Youth baseball diamonds

0

0

Softball diamonds

0

NUMBER OF BBF LEAGUE TEAMS

1

National Baseball League (NBL)

1

1

AAA League

0

1

AA League

0

1

A League

0

2

U17 League

0

2

U12 League

0

8

Total

1

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS (Runner-up in brackets)

0 (1)

NBL

3 (0)

1 (0)

AAA League

0 (0)

0 (1)

AA League

0 (0)

0 (0)

A League

0 (0)

0 (1)

U17 League

0 (0)

1 (1)

U14 League

0 (0)

2 (4)

Total

3 (0)

NBL 2014 SEASON

4-6

Wins-Losses

5-7

5th

League position

4th

W2

Current streak

W1

7.80 (2nd)

Runs scored per game

5.17 (5th)

10.20 (7th)

Runs allowed per game

6.08 (3rd)

.357 (1st)

Batting average

.249 (6th)

.556 (1st)

Slugging average

.331 (6th)

8 (1st)

Home runs

0 (7th)

8.12 (7th)

ERA

6.12 (6th)

22 (4th)

Fielding Errors

22 (4th)
by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts U12s heading for Farnham Park as part of a big weekend of baseball

View of Farnham Park from the skies (photo by BSUK)

The baseball weekend begins at Farnham Park as a Herts under 12 All Star team is unleashed on the national scene for the first time in the careers of that age group. They will be competing in the under 12 bracket of the Little League UK Championship and will face the London Mets first up at 12:30pm. Depending on the outcome of that first game they will battle through the tournament tree shown below:

Saturday, 14 June
10:00 London Sports vs Essex Redbacks (Game 1)
12:30 Herts vs London Mets (Game 2)
15:00 Loser Gm 1 vs Loser Gm 2 (Game 3)

Sunday, 15 June
10:00 LYBL vs Winner of Game 1 (Game 4)
12:30 Winner Game 3 vs Winner Game 2 (Game 5)
15:00 Winner Game 4 vs Winner Game 5

The tournament will be held at Farnham Park and will be hosted by BSUK and BBF.

Herts will also be represented in the U17 Little League UK Championship as an All Star team representing all U17 teams from the South of England go head-to-head with an All Star team representing the Midlands and the North. The U17 UK Champions will be decided in a best-of-3 series over the weekend. The winner will progress through to the European qualifying stage which will be held in Italy next month, for a chance to reach the Little League World Series in August.

At the same time at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead the Herts Ravens have an U17 League doubleheader versus the Forest Glade Redbacks. First pitch is at 12pm. Food and drinks will be on offer throughout the day.

Baseball and pretty much everything else in the UK will stop on Saturday night as the England football team plays its first World Cup 2014 game against Italy.

The baseball action continues on Sunday at Grovehill Ballpark with two games from the British adult leagues. In the Double-A League the Herts Hawks will be looking to put their season back on track with a win against the Bracknell Inferno, while the Herts Raptors will be looking for their first win of the season in their Single-A League encounter with Tonbridge. Both games start at 12pm.

 

by Daniel Levitt

Falcons resurrect playoff hopes, sweep Pirates

Abel Salas had a big day on the mound and with the bat (photo by Paul Holdrick)

The Herts Falcons continued their quest for postseason baseball on Sunday, when they took on the South London Pirates in a double header at Grovehill Ballpark.

Coming off of a well-fought split series against the Southampton Mustangs last week, the Falcons’ play matched the glorious sunshine with which the games were soaked in. Despite giving up two runs in the first inning, Abel Salas got Herts on the score sheet with a scorching line-drive solo home run in the second, his first of the season. Salas’ offensive involvement did not stop there however, as the lefty walked and stole second base in the fourth inning, only to be doubled home by Darrin Ward to put the Falcons up 3-2. 

Starting pitcher, Michael Osborn (pictured right), settled down by the fifth inning to strike out two Pirates on his way to a total of ten strikeouts for the game. The bottom of the fifth was when the sunshine really shone on the Falcons’ hitters, as they blew the game wide open with nine runs.  

The inning started with a line-drive single that hit the left-field wall by Ryan Hackel, and when Jose Sosa singled in two runs to make it 6-2, the Falcons were just hitting their stride. Salas continued his mammoth game with an RBI double to straight away centre-field, while new signing, Zac Malone, had an RBI single in his debut for the Hertfordshire club.  

Game 1 finished 12-2 and was called early due to the mercy rule. 

What had become a pitcher’s duel early on, turned into an offensive onslaught very hastily. Every batter reached on base at least once, with all but two notching themselves a hit.  

“Michael was terrific on the mound today” Falcons manager, Lee Manning, said after the game.  

“Up until the fifth inning it was a very close game and we did well to stay in it. We got some great hits and were able to blow the game open.” 

Game 2 had a slightly different feel to it than the opener, yet delivered the same result. While Game 1 was a nail-biter to the very last inning – before it was called – the second game of the day was in the clasp of the Falcons’ claws from the third inning. 

Salas, the star of game one, took his talents to the mound this time around. After giving up his only run of the afternoon in the first inning, the Mexican was dealing his best stuff the rest of the way, leading to his finest pitching performance of the season thus far and striking out ten Pirates on his way to the victory. 

Carlos Casal Jr. drove in the game winning run in the third. With runners on the corners, Casal Jr. then attempted to steal second, and as he did so, drew a wild throw from the opposing catcher that sailed into the outfield. That was enough to send first-baseman, Darrin Ward, home and put the Falcons up 3-1. 

Phil Clarke went deep for his first home run of the season (photo by Paul Holdrick)

The game was put to bed when Phil Clarke hit his first home run of the season, a two-run shot to left-field.  

The Falcons managed to tally twenty plus hits for the day, but what was more impressive, was the maturity they showed at the plate by only striking out three times in each game. 

Manning said after the game, “Abel pitched an amazing game today. He allowed the hitters to establish an early lead and never looked back” 

New signings Zac Malone and Ryan Hackel flourished on both sides of the plate. Malone stole three consecutive bases in his debut, while Hackel made playing shortstop look effortless, with six seamlessly faultless plays.  

Manning added, “Zac and Ryan have come in and immediately contributed on both offense and defense. The team is very happy and cannot wait to play out the rest of the season with them”. 

The Falcons now have a week off before they welcome the reigning National Champions Southern Nationals to Grovehill Ballpark, in a clash the Falcons hope to gain some revenge from their semi-final defeat to the Nationals a year ago. 

Game 1 is scheduled to start at 12.00pm BST with Game 2 following at 14.30 BST on Sunday, 22 June.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Blackjacks outscore Fruit salads to take the win

British Single-A League
Herts Raptors 20 Haverhill Blackjacks 30
Adrian Smithers reporting from Haverhill

It was a very hot day in Haverhill last Sunday. Which incidentally, for anybody whom geographical awareness is not their strongest point, is in Suffolk! It’s most definitely NOT in Cambridgeshire as some believed.

It was under this inferno of an early June sun that the Raptors trotted out upon the “diamond” to play the Blackjacks for the second time in a fortnight. Raptors were hoping to exact a modicum of revenge for the previous defeat at Grovehill. A game that had seen them coming within 2 outs of securing their very first win of the season. However it was not to be on this day, as it hadn’t previously.

Raptors batted around in the 1st inning putting four runs on the board. The Blackjacks replied in the bottom of the inning with two. The 2nd inning saw the Herts team bat around again adding another four runs. Raptors starting pitcher Charlie Mayhew then retired Haverhill in order. Giving Raptors an 8-2 lead. It was the Raptors turn to put up a blank in the third as the Blackjacks batters made adjustments, on their second time through the order, scoring six runs to tie the game at 8-8 after three innings.

Raptors responded aggressively, after their first two outs in the 4th inning, batting around once more and plating six runs in the process to retake the lead 14-6. However, the bottom of the inning was truly disasterous for the Raptors and despite Cresswell relieving C.Mayhew with one out and runners on 2nd & 3rd, the Haverhill team exploded for THIRTEEN runs from five hits, four walks, passed balls and other numerous and costly errors.

The inning included an inside the “park” home run by Blackjacks slugger Becking. Who having gone deep in the teams previous encounter, failed to clear the 1,545 ft outfield fence and had to do it the hard way with the Herts outfielders mere specks against the distant horizon.

With the score now 21-14 to Haverhill, the hard throwing but wild Fuentes took over pitching duties for the Blackjacks enabling the Raptors to score six runs on a single hit, seven walks and a glut of wild pitches to pull the score back to within a run. They then held the home team to a single run inthe bottom of the fifth to trail 22-20.

Raptors failed to add to their score in the sixth, whilst the Blackjacks added a further seven unearned runs as the Raptors focus and ability to make the basic plays seemed to melt away like a chewy sweet left out in the sweltering afternoon sunshine. The Herts team fared no better in the 7th as they were sat down in order. Haverhill then added the single run they required, to bring the mercy rule into play, without an out being recorded. With the game over and the platitudes completed, half the Raptors team headed for home, the other half for the nearest pub. A happier time was had in the Rose & Crown as lost liquids were replenished.

Raptors manager Geoffrey Thomas said: “Once again we’ve scored a lot of runs but we’ve made too many mistakes and given up too many runs. There’s wins in this team, we just need to cut down on the errors.”

Raptors are back at Grovehill on Sunday 15th June to face visitors Tonbridge.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Zac Malone joins Herts Falcons

The Herts Falcons have made another big acquisition with the addition of Zac Malone (pictured right) to their roster.

The 22-year-old is from Tennessee, USA, and he started his baseball career 14 years ago. He went on to play varsity baseball for the Fishers Tigers in Indiana, USA. He was voted on the All Conference team in both his junior and senior years. This is a considerable achievement bearing in mind that he was competing against players in that conference who are now playing in Major League Baseball. Among them are the closer for the Washington Nationals, Drew Storen, the catcher for the Cincinnati Reds, Tucker Barnhart, and Nolan Sanburn who is a member of the Oakland A’s pitching staff.

Zac Malone’s primary position is catcher, but he has also filled other infield positions. He is expected to bring some power to the Herts batting lineup having been among the home run leaders for the Fishers Tigers. He bats and throws right-handed.

Washington Nationals pitcher Drew Storen is one of several MLB players which Zac Malone has had to compete with

This news comes after a difficult start of the season for the Falcons in which they suffered a series of injuries to key players on top of the loss of some big names at the end of last season so it is fair to say that the Falcons still have some work to do to fill all the positions, but it looks like the team has regained the Bingo-Bango energy of 2012 and 2013. Injured players are steadily returning to the lineup, including Tom Armstrong and Abel Salas who pitched a gem on his return on Sunday. Jose Sosa has been phenomenal offensively and on the mound since his arrival three weeks ago. Ryan Hackel made his debut on Sunday and proved to be a pivotal player in the team’s win against the odds at the table-topping Southampton Mustangs.

Zac Malone with the Fishers Tigers in 2010

The Falcons are just a game back on the playoff places. Will Zac Malone add to the team’s momentum? They can move into the playoff zone as early as this Sunday, 8 June, when they host the South London Pirates at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead. It will be a difficult task against a rejuvenated Pirates team. First pitch of the doubleheader is at 12pm.