Category: Headlines

by ChrisJones

Black & Blue

If you went to see ten major league baseball games, you could expect to see about seven batters hit by a pitch.

Or you could mosey on down to Grovehill Ballpark, grab a doughnut from the concession stand, set up your collapsible armchair, and watch Herts under-11 baseball. On Saturday we hit seven batters in four innings.

Joint leaders in the “hit by pitch” league table are Lewis Auchterlounie and Jonathan Wakelam, with four each. Nicholas Durer has three, all picked up on Saturday. Even Noah Lynch has been clouted twice, and Lord knows, he’s not a big target.

Now, our league is not well known for its tactical use of the inside pitch. Brushbacks are generally not in our armoury; nor do you see much chin music in a Dodgers v Giants clash.

It’s true that in Major League Baseball, batters face pitches thrown maybe an mph or two faster than our U11 pitchers can yet manage. It’s true also that the adult baseball is essentially a smooth rock, while we favour a softer, more squidgy projectile.

However, your typical MLB batter steps up to the plate sporting an elbow pad and a shin guard, and for all I know, a variety of other guards too. Meanwhile our brave batters face down the pitching wearing just their Herts uniforms and a helmet. Do they flinch?  OK, do they flinch much? No, they don’t!

So Herts Baseball Club would like to apologise to any U11 parents or guardians whose charges returned home on Saturday afternoon covered in bruises. Be assured, it’s for the good of baseball.

On with the game. If you’ve been keeping up with our rambling reports, you’ll know that the Giants held a two-game lead after the first game in the 8th June double-header. The Dodgers then won two on the bounce to level things up, 3½ – 3½.

As the visitors today, the Dodgers opened up the batting, Josh Jones on the mound. William Morillo picked up a single, and Nicholas Durer was hit by his first pitch of the day. These two were left on base, though, as Josh struck out Alex Trautman for the third out. The Giants weren’t able to take advantage, as Dodgers pitcher Alex Trautman recorded three quick outs to close the first inning.

Top of 2, and Jonathan Wakelam was next to be clunked with the ball, and moved into scoring position when Rory Vangundy singled. Wakelam then scored on an error. Two more HBPs later, Rory Vangundy also made it home after a fielding mix-up. 2-0 Dodgers.

It looked as if the Giants would be able to respond in kind as Josh Jones hit a double to lead off their 2nd inning, and Alex Jones singled, moving Josh onto third and reaching second on the throw. With Lewis Auchterlounie thwacked on the chest, the bases were loaded with two outs, but Alex Trautman got the crucial strikeout to get the Dodgers out of jail.

In the third, the Dodgers sparkled with the bat – James Dullea, Rory Vangundy, William Morillo and Lucas Lebrato made successive base hits, with two runs scored. Josh Jones was tiring as pitcher and Ben Jupp took over. Nicholas Durer reached on a fielder’s choice as Lucas was tagged out. A single for Alex Trautman, another clout on the leg for Jonathan Wakelam, and an RBI ground-out for James Dullea, and that was four for the inning, and a 6-0 lead.

Ben Jupp then led off the bottom of the third for the Giants, and hit a hard drive towards second baseman Rory Vangundy. Rory snagged the ball, set himself and fired a throw to Nicholas Durer at first for a terrific 4-3 play. The Giants then recorded a couple of base hits in, but things weren’t going their way as the inning ended scoreless.

In the fourth, Lucas Lebrato, who leads the season’s batting averages, hit his second double of the game. Nicholas Durer recorded his third “hit by pitch”, although by now we suspected he was just throwing himself at the ball. But two quick strikeouts, and that was it for the Dodgers – the Giants would have to score six to keep the game alive. Despite three singles, they could only manage one run, Oliver Durer with the RBI, and the Dodgers recorded a 6-1 win to take a one-game lead in the series.

This game was perhaps closer than it looked; the Dodgers scored eight hits to the Giants’ seven, and the Giants had seven batters left on base. Had the Giants been able to make something out of the two-out, bases loaded position in the second, the game might have taken a different course. All to play for as the season progresses.

On Saturday 6th July, the under-11 all-stars travel to Essex to meet the Redbacks. Essex batters are advised to pad up.

 

Batting

Pitching

Fielding

 

Season Averages

 

by Cristobal Hiche

Falcons and Nationals keep fans on the edge of their seats in a thriller at Grovehill Ballpark

The Falcons came out of the dust as the winners, but the Nationals deserve a lot of credit for a fantastic game of baseball (photo by Richard Lee richardleephotography.org)

written by Cristobal Hiche

BRILLIANT! That’s the only way to describe two well played games both of which were literally decided on the last pitch. More importantly, Falcons came away with two important wins, keeping them on top of the National Baseball League.

NBL (Game1) Herts Falcons 3 Harlow Nationals 2 (click to view box scores)

The first game was an MLB classic with a pitching duel by veteran and All-Star Michael Osborn for Herts and Marty Cullen Jr.’s debut against the Falcons. It was not meant to be an easy task against a powerful Falcons lineup but Cullen Jr. managed to give up only 3 hits in 5 and two-third innings. Unfortunately for him, Osborn again grabbed the spotlight with another pitching gem, despite the Nationals taking a lead with an unearned run in the top of the 3rd inning after two unexpected errors by the Falcons defence. Herts reacted quickly in the bottom of the inning. Marty Jr. with 2 outs lost a bit of concentration and hit Cris Hiche. A wild pitch and an error by 2B Matt Gilbert extended the inning. With men on 1st and 3rd the always dangerous Jordan Farkas came to the plate and punished the Nats with a 2-run double to put the Falcons in the lead. The great pitching duel continued but Cullen Jr. made a small but costly mistake at the end. In the bottom of the 5th he walked Robbie Unsell to start the inning. Falcons needed the insurance run so they were aggressive with Robbie stealing second and then third base. Cullen Jr looked to end the inning by striking out Cris Hiche but with 2 outs Ryan Bird was able to bring the run home with a double. Harlow needed to react but with a man on 1st and 1 out, Osborn turned up the heat and struck out the next two batters. The Nationals were following Yogi Berra’s quote “it ain’t over till it’s over”, determined to try and get a lead in the last inning with the top of the batting order coming to the plate. Falcons looked poised to win with Roberto Almanzar on 1st base and having the always dangerous Maikel Azcuy hit a fly to CF to record the 2nd out. Unfortunately Osborn seemed to lose a bit of gas and although ahead in the count to both Edwin Acantara (1-2) and Jarrod Pretorius (0-2), allowed singles to load the bases. Credit must be given to the Falcons defence which was well positioned to make sure no runs were scored on Jarrod’s single even with Robbie Almanzar’s great speed and being in scoring position. Manager Lee Manning decided to call the bullpen and put flame-thrower Ryan Bird to close the game. The crowd went numb when Ryan walked Dan Parker on four straight pitches to bring the 2nd run home (the only earned run credited to Michael Osborn). A hit could potentially put Nats ahead. More importantly could Ryan find the strike zone? It was an intense moment for fans on both sides of the field. With the count 1-1, Matt Gilbert hit a laser beam towards 1st base and Herts’ hearts (no pun intended) stopped beating for a second. It was a potential bases-clearing double but Darrin Ward was able to catch the line drive, end the game, and make everyone’s heart beat again. A dramatic but well-deserved win for the Falcons.

NBL (Game1) Herts Falcons 8 Harlow Nationals 5 (click to view box scores)

Either Falcons players were still thinking and celebrating the victory of Game 1 or Nats were absolutely determined to reverse their faith, but 2 consecutive errors and a wild pitch opened the gate for the Nats to score 4 runs and could have been worst since they had 2 runners on base with only 1 out, but left them stranded. Given the result of the first game and Harlow having Matt Gilbert on the mound, this could potentially be enough for the visitors. However the instructions heard from Falcons dugout were to adopt the ‘one run at a time’ philosophy and it looked that way when in the bottom of the 1st with 2 outs, Cris Hiche and Ryan Bird were able to manufacture a run between them. Unfortunately, Maikel Azcuy had none of that and silenced the stadium with a blast to RF to keep the 4-run lead. Falcons responded in the bottom of the 3rd when after an 8-pitch battle, Cris Hiche hit a home run to centerfield to close down the score 5-2. Falcons made everything interesting again in the bottom of the 4th when they pulled a string of hits to manufacture two more runs and reduce the deficit down to 5-4. On the other hand, Jordan Farkas was able to settle down after the 1st inning and keep the dangerous Harlow Nationals bats quiet. On a hot day in Grovehill, both starting pitchers looked tired and both managers decided to go to the bullpen. Coincidentally, both brought the same relievers as in Game 1, Ryan Bird (Herts) and Robbie Almanzar (Nationals). In the bottom of the 6th Robbie Unsell again started the inning with a single and knowing how important it was to score at least 1 run, Phil Clark moved Robbie to 2nd with a sacrifice bunt. Cris Hiche was able to reach base on an infield single and all of a sudden the Nats went into a meltdown. Robbie balked bringing the tying run and destroying the potential double play. Then he hit Ryan to put him on base. Following that, Luis Goncalves made a throwing error sailing into right-field and this brought two more runs home. Several batters later Dave House hit a double with Jordan Farkas on third base. With 2 outs Luis Goncalves made another fielding error to bring Jordan home. Falcons had a 3-run lead with only 3 outs left and Ryan Bird on the mound. Game over, right? Well, in what is becoming a Herts tradition, it needed to end dramatically. Robbie Almanzar started the top of the 7th with a single and Ryan Bird walked Edwin Alcantara. The tying run was at the plate with the powerful and always dangerous Jarrod Pretorius stepping to the plate. Fortunately he flew out to centerfield to record the second out and Ryan was able to strike out Dan Parker to finish the game. Game over.

An ecstatic Lee Manning said after the game, “happy with the way we played today: solid defence and strong pitching again. Timely hitting helped us catch them in Game 2. My only concern is the amount of runners we left on base”. He also put emphasis on the quality of the games today and the pitching duel in Game 1 by adding “I must say that Marty Jr. did an amazing job in Game 1 to keep toe-to-toe with NBL legend Michael Osborn”.

These were quality games by both teams who showed great pitching, good defence, and some power hitting too. These games showed how close the league is and how a single fielding error, a bad pitch, or a bad inning can make a difference in the outcome of the game. The crowd responded with a record (or near-record) attendance and I think they left happy. There is another opportunity to come and support the Falcons this Sunday as they host the Bracknell Blazers and, with the summer finally here, pick up a nice sun-tan along the way!

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Good outing for the Hawks in South London

Andy Cornish (left) and Andrew Slater (right) had business on their mind at Roundshaw Park

report by Kal Dimitrov

The Herts Hawks faced the South London Pirates for a double header in the AA League South.

AA League (Game1) Herts Hawks 18 South London Pirates 2 (click to view box scores)

The first game was a one-sided affair, as the Pirates proved unable to adjust to the cunning pitches of Andy Slater, who went on to pitch five innings, giving up 2 runs, none of them earned. He was helped by a steady defence, with some spectacular plays by Carlos Casal Jr at short and Ilya Dimitrov in centerfield. The Hawks were able to mount some big rallies, capped by an inside-the-park-3-run-home-run by co-manager Andy Cornish. The game ended in 5 innings.

AA League (Game2) Herts Hawks 19 South London Pirates 8 (click to view box scores)

The second game started better for the Pirates, who had a one-run lead into the third inning facing Slater, who remained on the mound until all the gas could be squeezed out of him. An astute managerial decision resulted in Greg Bochan coming in on the mound and Conner Brown taking his place at third. Neither disappointed, with Conner making steady plays as well as attempting a spectacular diving catch in foul territory. Bochan, in the meantime, came up and did not allow a single run for the rest of the game, with 3 strikeouts and some handy plays, including a couple of outfield catches by John Kjorstad and one by Tomasz Kosak. The Hawks put together some steady hitting from the fourth inning on, with particularly good performance by Ilya Dimitrov who went 4 for 5 in the game with 5 RBIs, Greg Bochan – 3 for 4, and tireless running by Carlos Casal Jr., Jose Morillo and Conner Brown.

The two wins mean that the Hawks have a .500 winning percentage and move into the playoff zone. The top two AA South teams at the end of the regular season will go through to the quarter finals while the teams finishing between third and sixth place will have to go through an extra playoff round. If the regular season ended today, the Herts Hawks would have to face the Daws Hill Spitfires. There are 6 more games to be played in the regular season.

 

by Ken Pike

Raptors win puts them on the brink of playoffs

Baseball teams from across the UK are jostling for playoff positions.

The Raptors top the single A league and stand on the brink of clinching a playoff spot thanks to another big win today. Sadly, having not been there, I cannot report on the game itsself, though the 24-6 drubbing of the contenders for Pool B’s lead is certainly another impressive head to add to recent victories over the Blackjacks and the Marauders. So, with Pool A rivals, the Coyotes, coming to Grovehill next week, just what are Raptors’ chances of making the post season?

To win Pool A and get a first round buy, a win against the Coyotes next week would put the Raptors 2.5 games clear with only 3 remaining after that, so again either 1 win or a Coyotes loss would furthermore seal Pool victory. A loss would put the Raptors only 0.5 games ahead with 3 remaining and head to head results means the Raptors would have to win as many as the Coyotes do or slip behind them.

If that did happen and the Raptors didn’t top the pool, then they would have to go for a wildcard place. The Coyotes replace them at the top of Pool A and would be out of wildcard equations. The Blackjacks and Marauders who top their Groups would also be irrelevant (all coloured blue in tablefor demonstrative purposes).

With that in mind, the table is currently as follows:

Team Wins Losses Games back
Raptors 8 2 0
Marauders 6 2 1
Mavericks 5 3 1
Coyotes 6 3 1.5
Blackjacks 4 4 3
Archers 3 4 3.5
Redbacks 3 4 3.5
Tonbridge 4 5 3.5
Eagles 3 6 4.5
2Sox 2 5 4.5
Old Timers 3 6 4.5
Dukes 3 6 4.5
Key Divisional leaders if Raptors fail to secure Pool pennant
Unable to surpass Raptors

 

The Eagles, 2Sox, Old Timers and Dukes do not have a mathematical chance of overtaking the Raptors now as they are 4.5 games back with 4 games remaining. (coloured grey on chart).

This leaves only the Mavericks, Archers, Redbacks and Tonbridge to go for the remaining three wildcard spots. Currently the Mavericks are only a game back, so even if they finish ahead of the Raptors there are two places left for wildcards.

The Archers, Redbacks and Tonbridge are all 3.5 games back, meaning 1 more win for the Raptors would put all three out of contention of overtaking the Raptors. A loss by any one of those teams would also put that team out.

Thats basically it. One more win and the Raptors are through to the post season as a wildcard or better. Failing that, one slipup by any two of those three teams and they are through as well.

 

The remaining games are:

Coyotes (6-3) @ Raptors

Raptors @ Mavericks (5-3)

Raptors @ Dukes (3-6)

Raptors @ Tonbridge (4-5)

 

 

 

by Ken Pike

Raptors make Blackjacks walk the plank despite downpour

By Ken Pike

What a difference a month makes in baseball. On the third weekend in May the Raptors had just suffered the second defeat in a row levelling their record at 2-2 after what had been a very promising start to the season. Errors had plagued the team, and while part of the damage came from notable absences of the younger members having to undergo end of year exams, the remaining players had to admit at the time that lapses of concentration had cost them dearly. Playoffs still seemed a very long way away and it was clear that no more mistakes could be tolerated if those were to ever become reality.

Fast forward four games and victories against league leading London Marauders, the solid Redbacks, a dominant performance over the 2Sox, and vengeance against their sister team the Eagles had restored their position at joint top of Single A Pool A and revitalised faith in their abilities. What’s more, the manner of victories had also been resounding – four straight mercy rule games, with a significant drop in error rates, and impressive pitching performances.

Yet much more was to come. Despite the continued success there was no light between their Pool opponents the MK Coyotes and the next few games saw them face 2 pool leaders (including MK), a team that could top their pool if they won their games in hand, and a series of teams all with winning records. First up, the Haverhill Blackjacks, a team that had suffered a rocky start to the season before notable acquisitions from the local US Airforce base had significantly improved their fortunes with rumours of a near unbeatable pitching/catching partnership.

The first inning started with a touch of the shakes for Herts. A couple of fielding errors led to three unforced runs scoring for the Haverhill team, but the Raptors had seen far worse starts turn to victory and were barely phased by that. The Raptors offense is rapidly making a name for itsself having outscored every other team in the league by 50 runs over the season. The bottom half of the first saw Ken Pike get on base and test the fabled visiting battery early on with a steal to second. A hit moved him to second before he took his opportunity on a pass ball. In what was a close play the pitcher made the mistake of stepping over the plate into the path of the 13 stone Raptors catcher. The wind promptly knocked out of him, the ball was no-where near a glove and the home team were on the scoreboard. Only one more runner would score to bring the game back to one.

The second inning saw the Raptors defence hit their stride. Young Will Zucker was cutting through the Haverhill lineup and a series of powerful plays saw the side retired without further score. The bottom half of the inning saw a significant change of pace. Perhaps the pitcher had suffered slightly from his collision, or perhaps the batters had taken heart from the fact the battery wasn’t as dangerous as they had heard. Either way they batted around the order nearly twice with 13 runners scoring before the side was retired (not before Haverhill had gone through two pitchers and descended into a full blown on the pitch argument with themselves). No fancy homeruns required for the home team, just a solid on base percentage with the youthful and fast side making the most of any opportunity to advance.

The third inning saw Will Zucker swapped for the equally young Brodie Caress on the mound, but little else changed. One Blackjack came around before the side was retired, barely denting the Raptors lead of 12. Said lead was promptly restored in the bottom of the inning, but not with quite as much aplomb as the previous inning. Three runners scored – a lead of 14 runs. Sadly not without loss of limb (though thankfully not life.) The cursed first base on the old Grovehill diamond had struck again as Warwyk Byrne landed awkwardly on his hand while returning to first on a pickoff attempt adding a broken finger to the long list of Herts players having suffered in the same position (Duncan Hoyle, Ken Pike, Rob Jones, Joe Osborne-Brade etc etc etc).

Brodie’s performance on the mound continued into the fourth too, this time retiring the side in rapid progression, the first two batters departing within 3 pitches. A walk later the fourth batter went for a simple fly out with barely 15 pitches having passed all inning. Again, another 3 Raptors runs were added stretching the team’s lead to 21-4.

With clouds looming the fifth inning proved more exciting. Caress’ arm was clearly tiring and despite him comfortable lead some of the accuracy had departed. Six runs from Haverhill gave them a fighting chance but they still had work to do to overcome the mercy rule which loomed within two innings. Sadly for the away team, their work should have started on defence in the bottom of the fifth. Instead the Raptors went to town again putting the game well beyond doubt, going around the order again plating 10 more runs to extend the lead to 31-10.

As the sixth started an increasing rainfall started to play havoc with Caress’ accuracy before the heavens opened deluging the field sending both teams heading for umbrellas as umpire Adrian Smithers called for a rain timeout of 5 minutes. Those minutes passed without change for the better and the game was called with a result being called and Havehill’s score being pulled back to the end of the fifth. End result 31-10.

Raptors manager Arnie Longboy praised another great performance: “I think our offense had another explosive game against a tough opponent.  I want to be sure though that we can keep up the momentum for our next two opponents.  Sony Lama continued his hot hitting streak with two singles, a double, triple – just missing the cycle by a homerun.  Jim Arnott’s production also carried over with a team season high seven RBI’s . And of course Ken Pike added to his team lead in stolen bases with another 3.”

The Raptors have now convincingly demolished the leaders of both other pools, and thanks to the Coyotes – Marauders game being postponed by two weeks they now sit top of their group by a half game. They face MK in two weeks, and suddenly the resurgence of faith and potential has turned into a serious charge for the end season. No predictions can be made in what is a very close fight to the finish in all the pools, but whoever wins that game will be strong favourites to finish top of their group. That said, that might make little difference the second team in pool A will be very strong candidates for the first of the three wildcard spots. What will matter however is pride, bragging rights, belief, and above all, momentum.

 

Team 1 2 3 4 5 R H E L
Haverhill Blackjacks 3 0 1 0 6 10 7 5 3
Herts Raptors 2 13 3 3 10 31 15 4 7

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Surely it’s too late for the 2012 awards

Joseph Osborne-Brade (right) received 3 awards in an outstanding season with the Herts Eagles

The 2012 schedule of events was so hectic and was followed by an equally busy 2013 Spring Training timetable, which left very few dates for the club to fit the 2012 Awards Event. As a result the club’s adult and youth teams have been presenting the 2012 awards at separate events over the last few months.

The full list of award recipients is shown below with the exception of the Herts Falcons who are planning to announce their awards separately.

For the Herts Hawks Louis Hare picked up 4 of the trophies including Most Valuable Player (MVP). Gilberto Medina collected three of the awards in the batting category for the Herts Raptors, while Zack Longboy was voted MVP and also collected the Best Pitcher award. Herts Eagles’ Joseph Osborne-Brade received three trophies including the Outfield Gold Glove and Most Stolen Bases. Theo Scheepers was the MVP, Best Pitcher and Infield Gold Glove for the Eagles in a very successful year for the Single-A League team. Andrew Fulford picked up the Play of the Year award in a very competitive category which included some outstanding plays by all the Herts teams across the leagues. The play was his game-changing Grand Slam home run in the AA playoff quarter final at the Guildford Mavericks. Fulford also received the Herts Hawks Home Run Champion.

...and the Nob-Out Award goes to...the whole Herts Hawks team

For the first time in the club’s history, the dreaded Nob-Out award went to a team rather than an individual. The whole Herts Hawks team was the recipient for their extravagant celebration in their good win against the Daws Hill Spitfires invading the field only to find that there is one more inning left to be played.

In the youth leagues, Zack Longboy received the best pitcher award and was voted as the Herts U17 MVP. Liam Green is now 17 so 2012 was his last season in the youth leagues which he marked by collecting the Home Run Champion and Most Stolen Bases awards. Jake Caress and Kyle Lloyd-Jones also played their last season in the youth leagues and received the Infield Gold Glove and Batting Champion awards, respectively. Tom Everex-Armstrong collected the Outfield Gold Glove and Warwick Byrne was awarded with the Rookie of the Year trophy after an impressive first season with Herts.

Callum Vangundy’s outstanding performances were recognised with 4 awards, including the MVP, Batting Campion, Home Run Champion and Most Stolen Bases. Tom Jansson-Wright was the Rookie of the Year. Drew Mayhew and Tom Adams received the Infield and Outfield Gold Gloves, respectively. Alec Broadbent who is recovering from an athletics injury this year received the Cy Young trophy. He started to be used as a pitcher late in the season and impressed quickly especially in the pressure postseason games.

In the U11 League, Christian Lynch and Ozan Martin were the stand-out players for the Herts Giants and Herts Dodgers, respectively. They each received the MVP and Batting Champion titles. Oliver Durer’s (Giants) and Thomas Garton’s (Dodgers) hard work was rewarded with the Infield Gold Gloves, while Alex Jones received the Outfield Gold Glove. Alex Trautman and Jonathan Wakelam were the Most Improve Players in the U11 League. Slugger of the Year was Lewis Auchterlounie and Katie Everex-Armstrong received the prestigious Coach’s Award. Noah Lynch and William Morillo are two of the smallest players in the club, but they are also the club’s biggest prospects. They received the Rookie of the Year Awards.

HERTS HAWKS (AA LEAGUE)
MVP Louis Hare
Batting Champion Louis Hare (Avg.486 15 RBI)
Infield Gold Glove Louis Hare (F% .833)
Outfield Gold Glove Jon Lewys (F% 1.000)
Best Pitcher Nick Russell (5 W 2.18 ERA)
Most Stolen Bases Paul Auchterlounie (9 SB)
Home Run Champion Andrew Fulford (2 HR)
Most RBIs Louis Hare (15 RBI)
Coach’s Award Nic Goetz
HERTS RAPTORS (A LEAGUE)
MVP Zack Longboy
Batting Champion Gilberto Medina (.608)
Infield Gold Glove Jose Morillo
Outfield Gold Glove John Kjorstad
Best Pitcher Zack Longboy
Most Stolen Bases Ken Pike
Home Run Champion Gilberto Medina (1 HR)
Most RBIs Gilberto Medina
Rookie of the Year Ben Marques
HERTS EAGLES (A LEAGUE)
MVP Theo Scheepers
Batting Champion Reagan Wood
Infield Gold Glove Theo Scheepers
Outfield Gold Glove Joseph Osborne-Brade
Best Pitcher Theo Scheepers
Most Stolen Bases Joseph Osborne-Brade
Home Run Champion Adrian Smithers
Most RBIs Duncan Hoyle
Coach’s Award Joseph Osborne-Brade
CLUB WIDE AWARDS
Play of the Year Andrew Fulford (Grandslam in Playoffs)
Nob-Out Award Herts Hawks Team
HERTS ALL STARS (U17 LEAGUE)
MVP Zack Longboy
Batting Champion Kyle Lloyd-Jones (.421)
Infield Gold Glove Jake Caress
Outfield Gold Glove Tom Everex-Armstrong
Rookie of the Year Warwick Byrne
Home Run Champion Liam Green (HR 2)
Most Stolen Bases Liam Green (SB 10)
Cy Young Award Zack Longboy
HERTS ALL STARS (U14 LEAGUE)
MVP Callum Vangundy
Batting Champion Callum Vangundy (.526)
Infield Gold Glove Drew Mayhew
Outfield Gold Glove Tom Adams
Rookie of the Year Tom Jansson-Wright
Home Run Champion Callum Vangundy (3 HR)
Most Stolen Bases Callum Vangundy (3 SB)
Cy Young Award Alec Broadbent
HERTS GIANTS (U11 LEAGUE)
MVP Christian Lynch
Batting Champion Christian Lynch
Infield Gold Glove Oliver Durer
Outfield Gold Glove Alex Jones
Rookie of the Year Noah Lynch
Most Improved Player Alex Trautman
Slugger of the Year Lewis Auchterlounie
HERTS DODGERS (U11 LEAGUE)
MVP Ozan Martin
Batting Champion Ozan Martin
Infield Gold Glove Thomas Garton
Rookie of the Year William Morillo
Most Improved Player Jonathan Wakelam
Coaches’ Award Katie Everex-Armstrong
by Herts Baseball News Editor

The Champions are coming to town this Sunday

The highest attendance at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead during the 2012 regular season was at the NBL game between the Harlow Nationals and the Herts Falcons. At the time the Nationals were leading the league with 10-3 record and the Falcons were second, standing half a game back (9-3). The two teams went on to meet in the 2012 national final where the Nationals took the title in game 6.
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This season the balance of power has shifted slightly. The Falcons and the Mustangs are tied in first place with the London Mets one game back but with games in hand. The Nationals find themselves in fourth place 5 games behind the leading pack with a 9-9 record so far. Some would suggest that the Nationals may not be able to retain the title, but just like Major League Baseball the key in the regular season is to get to the postseason. It does not matter whether you do it convincingly or whether or squeeze into it on the last day of the regular season. The Nats are in a pack of 4 teams divided by 1 game and only 3 of them are likely to go through to the postseason. The South London Pirates may even mount a challenge to get into this group. This makes Sunday’s game a must-win for Harlow.
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At the same time the Herts Falcons know that all of the hard work they put in to win the last 8 games may go to waste if they make one wrong step and slip up against the Nationals in Hemel Hempstead this Sunday, June 30. A loss could see the Falcons drop down from first to third place which would mean that they will have to go through a 1-game playoff decider to book a place to the National Baseball Championships in September.
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This is a good opportunity to look at the Herts Falcons stats with 12 games remaining in the regular season.
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BATTING

AVG.

SLUG%

HR

RBI

Ryan Bird (.550)

Ryan Bird (.900)

Cristobal Hiche (2)

Cristobal Hiche (15)

Jordan Farkas (.458)

Cristobal Hiche (.674)

Ryan Bird (1)

Jordan Farkas (10)

Robbie Unsell (.400)

Robbie Unsell (.533)

Ryan Bird (9)

PITCHING

ERA

K

W

Robbie Unsell (0.70)

Robbie Unsell (32)

Michael Osborn (3)

Michael Osborn (1.40)

Michael Osborn (18)

Jordan Farkas (3)

Darrin Ward (3.50)

Jordan Farkas (15)

Robbie Unsell (2)

Darrin Ward (2)

RUNNING

STOLEN BASE

Robbie Unsell (19)

Ctistobal Hiche (10)

John Blose (8)

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The doubleheader starts at 12:00pm at Grovehill Ballpark, Hemel Hempstead (click for venue details). The second game is expected to start at 2:30pm and end at around 4:30pm.
The Herts Raptors are also in action at the same time as they clash with their rival for a playoff spot, the Essex Archers. The game starts at 12pm on the Old Diamond at Grovehill Ballpark.
by ChrisJones

Dodgers Tie the Series at Glorious Grovehill

by Herts Baseball correspondent Paul Auchterlounie

Rain. Wind. Grovehill Ballpark. The first Saturday of summer.

A typical British baseball day seemingly offered little hope for the U11 Giants and Dodgers this last Saturday 22nd June, and the situation got worse as news came that the U14 Cardinals were short of players for a double header in the league. The result? Mini Baseball!!

A 6 vs 5 game – with coaches fielding in the outfield – started with the Giants batting and Nicholas Durer struck out. Lewis Auchterlounie up next, hitting a pop up down the first base line that was caught by James Dullea. 2 up, 2 down. Batting 3rd was Josh Jones who reached base with a single and advanced to second on a throwing error. Alex Jones moved Josh to 3rd base but Noah Lynch striking out ended the inning with the scoreboard untroubled.

Bottom of the 1st and Dodgers batting. Jonathan Wakelam reached first as Josh Jones fielded the slow dribbler from behind the plate and uncharacteristically threw wide of 1st base. The overthrow allowed Jonathan to advance to 2nd and he was brought home by an RBI single from Rory Vangundy. It was looking ominous for the Giants, 1 run down, 0 outs. Lucas Lebrato then reached with a single. This was followed by 2 quick strikeouts for James Dullea and Thomas Garton before a hit from Noah Haines resulted in a not often seen out as Lucas Lebrato overtook Rory on the base paths, thereby getting himself out. 1-0 Dodgers at the end of 1.

Giants’ coaches were encouraging their players to take advantage of the batting opportunities with the reduced numbers and they did just that in the 2nd inning as the maximum 5 runs crossed the plate, a highlight being Lewis Auchterlounie stroking a stand up line drive double to the outfield fence. All batters except for Noah Lynch reached base putting the ball in play.

However the lead was not to last as the Dodgers did exactly the same as the Giants had just done, crossing the plate 5 times and only 1 out being recorded as James Dullea struck out and Lucas Lebrato showing power with an RBI double. 6-5 after 2.

Into the 3rd and Giants led off with Alex Jones reaching on an error. Noah Lynch struck out again unfortunately, then three straight hits for Nicholas, Lewis and Josh resulted in 2 runs scoring. A 3rd run was scored as Alex Jones reached again on a fielders choice, the Dodgers choosing to get the runner out between 2nd and 3rd base. A similar play followed as Noah Lynch put the ball in play and some over enthusiastic base running from Alex Jones allowed the Dodgers to tag him as he tried to make it all the way to 3rd.

Bottom of the 3rd and again the Dodgers scored the maximum 5 runs this time without conceding an out as a combination of errors and fielders choice plays were followed by 3 straight hits for Lucas Lebrato, Thomas Garton and Noah Haines. 3 innings completed, 11-8 Dodgers.

Into the 4th and, due to the rather ominous looking clouds overhead, final inning. No run limit this time, could the Giants mount another come from behind win? James Dullea had now switched sides due to a poorly Nicholas Durer having to leave the game and was immediately called into action as the leadoff hitter. He stroked a ground rule double to the outfield fence and came home on another double from the bat of Josh Jones. With Lewis having stuck out in between there were still the chances to make the Dodgers at least bat again. However 2 strike outs for Alex Jones and Noah Lynch left Josh stranded at 2nd base and the game was over, 11-9 Dodgers.

Both sides took advantage of the shortage of fielders to register multi hit games, highlights being Josh Jones’ 5 for 5 and 5 RBI’s for the Giants, and Lucas Lebrato hitting 4 for 4 with 2 RBI’s for the Dodgers.

This result evened the series at 3 ½ – 3 ½.

Hopefully better weather, and more of the players being able to attend, will make for continuing excitement in the games and the series.

 

Photo: Svein Håvard Djupvik

by Cristobal Hiche

Herts Falcons make it 8 wins in a row. New generation of Falcons makes NBL debuts

Carlos Casal Jr (above) and Conner Brown (pictured below) made their NBL debuts for the Falcons

by Cristobal Hiche

On paper it was expected to be an easy outing for the league-leading Herts Falcons against the Essex Redbacks, for whom this is a first year in the NBL. But the games need to be played and underdogs can always sneak an unexpected victory. Well, it wasn’t the case. Falcons got two necessary victories to maintain their position at the top of the league. Herts looked very effective getting the necessary runs to get a comfortable lead and then relying on their solid pitching and defence to do the rest.

The first game saw Falcons winning it 6-2 suggesting a very close game. Indeed the score doesn’t lie however it never felt that way. Essex Redbacks could never really start a rally and put pressure on the Falcons. Herts looked to be in control during the entire game thanks to great pitching by Darrin Ward who pitched a complete game. Everybody was hitting well but special mention to John Blose who was on fire this Sunday and got the first big hit of the day with a deep double to left field. Falcons were hitting solid grounders and line drives but Redbacks played good defence to stop some of those laser beams. Herts took the opportunity to call up Herts Harriers/Ravens/GB players Carlos Casal Jr and Conner Brown for their first taste of the NBL with the Falcons. This was also the debut of Conner in the NBL. They took the opportunity and both played solid games both defensively and offensively.

 

The second game was more of the same. Falcons took an early lead with many multi-base hits which allowed to quickly put players in scoring position. Xavi Gonzalez started the game with a triple which set the tone for the game. Jordan Farkas pitched another solid 1-run complete game, mixing quite well between his fastball and his repertoire of breaking balls to keep the Redbacks at bay. Defensively they also took advantage of the fielding conditions. The outfield grass was quite long killing any ground ball hit to the outfield. Right fielder Carlos Velazco-Carus was aggressive charging each ball going his way and was able to make the out at first base on more than one occasion.

After the game Herts Falcons manager, Lee Manning, was happy about the victories and said: “We are happy that we have an 8-game winning streak going on and hope to extend it to a 10-game winning streak next week. The team played solid with good hitting by everyone and was happy to see many multi-base hits which hopefully can continue to do so next week”. He also said a few words about the players’ performances, “…everybody did great today. Both Darrin and Jordan pitched really well but I want to specially mention Carlos Jr and Conner, our U17 players, who did really well today. It’s not easy to step into the best team in the league and perform at the highest level of baseball in the UK. Thanks for coming down and helping us win two important games”.

The games didn’t really offer any highlights and at all times it looked like a Falcons team determined to win but not pushing too hard to avoid unnecessary injuries and stay healthy for the upcoming games. Pitching was great as usual, giving manager Lee Manning a welcoming dilemma. He has four excellent starters and of course only 2 games to play on a given weekend. However, let’s give credit to a Redbacks team who are finding their feet in the NBL and they never gave up. They finished strong and tried to close the gap, when many other teams would have given up being 10-1 behind. They even looked to make harder contact than much stronger NBL teams who have recently played against the Falcons.

Herts have a difficult weekend against the reigning champions Harlow Nationals. Last time they played Herts was able to sweep them convincingly. However Nationals will be determined to reverse history and more importantly make sure they don’t get into playoff troubles. Two losses might jeopardise their playoff chances. Meanwhile, Herts Falcons will try to extend their winning streak and ensure they stay on top of the league since the Mets and Mustangs are making sure they are still in the hunt for first place. So a perfect opportunity for baseball fans to come to Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead this Sunday, 30 June, for what is expected to be another clash of the titans between two of the big guns in the league.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts Ravens keep playoff hopes alive

Mike Cattermole had a good game for the Ravens pitching a complete game without any earned runs (photo by Will Baxter)

The Herts Ravens have kept their hopes of qualifying for the AAA League playoffs alive after splitting their doubleheader with the Richmond Knights.

BBF AAA League (Game1): Herts Ravens 7 Richmond Knights 6 (click to view box scores)

The Ravens went into the game looking to extend their 4-game winning streak. Manager Carlos Casal was on the DL and Louis Hare was once again in charge of the team. He led by example producing yet another outstanding pitching performance, but Richmond made it difficult putting together 5 hits and scoring 5 runs in the fifth inning to take a 6-2 lead. It seemed like the game was out of reach for Herts but they somehow managed to reproduce the incredible comeback from the game at Oxford 7 days ago. Dace Westfallen, Jonathon Lewys, Gilberto Medina and Aspi Dimitrov each came through with a hit to put the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position, but there were two outs and all the pressure fell on the young shoulders of first baseman, Kyle Lloyd-Jones. The Great Britain Under-19 National Team player drove a bullet through the infield to bring in two runs giving the Ravens a 7-6 lead. He went 3-for-4 with 4 RBI in that game.

Louis Hare kept his composure and closed the game in the bottom of the final inning in a dramatic come-from-behind win for Herts.

BBF AAA League (Game2): Herts Ravens 5 Richmond Knights 2 (click to view box scores)

The Ravens were unable to keep the momentum going in the second game. Richmond pitcher, Julio Malpica, had an outstanding game allowing only 2 runs on 3 hits. Matt Spaulding had two of those hits and Kal Dimitrov had the other for Herts.

2 runs could have been enough for the Ravens as Mie Cattermole pitched a gem of a game. He allowed only 6 hits and no earned runs. It was only the defensively shaky third and fourth inning which cost Herts dearly.

The two runs in the sixth inning reduced Richmond’s lead to 5-2 and the stage was set for another dramatic Ravens comeback, but it wasn’t to be. Malpica held on for the win.

After this round of games, the Ravens are in sixth place. The odds are against them but their good run has given them a hope of reaching the playoffs. They are 4 games back on the playoff places with 12 games to play. They will need to win 2 out of every 3 games between now and the end of the regular season to stand a chance. They have won 6 of the last 10 so they are more less on track, but need to maintain that momentum.

Update: 24 hours after the game the Ravens received the bad news that pitcher Louis Hare has fractured his elbow in two places playing football. It is uncertain how long it would take for him to return to action. Initial estimates suggest between 3 and 6 weeks as a minimum, but could be as long as 3 months. The one positive is that it is not his throwing arm so he may be able to return as a pitcher with another batter batting for him as a designated hitter.