Category: Headlines

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Win slips through Ravens claws as they leave 15 runners on base

The Herts Ravens travelled to Finsbury Park in the hope of pushing into the playoff race of the AAA League and they had the opportunity to do so, but failed to execute when the game was presented to them on a silver platter on numerous occasions.

AAA League Game 1: Herts Ravens 3 London Mets II 6 (click to view box scores)

The Mets II took a 6-1 lead in the first game of this doubleheader. Their pitchers Taichi and Rory Flood were doing very well to limit the Herts Ravens offense to 2 hits only but they were allowing too many walks (12). They allowed the bases to be loaded in 4 of the 7 innings most of which were with less than 2 outs. The Mets pitchers and defence somehow managed to get out of trouble with well executed double plays or strikeouts.

Despite this the Ravens will know that they missed a golden opportunity to pick up a win. They managed only 2 hits in 7 innings and left 15 runners on base, compared to 4 left on base by the Mets. They can take some positives though with Liam Green having a good outing and appearing to be recovering well after an arm injury earlier in the season. Green allowed only 1 earned run on 4 hits and, most importantly, no walks. Jake Caress also did well behind the plate catching a good game and working well with the pitchers to limit the Mets to 5 hits.

AAA League Game 2: Herts Ravens 0 London Mets II 12 (click to view box scores)

The Ravens had the opportunity to redeem themselves in the second game of the day, but came up against London’s pitcher, Matt, who dominated throughout. He struck out 9 and walked 2 in 5 innings of work. Going into the final inning he managed to get two quick outs and needed just one more to record an impressive no-hitter, but a 2-out line drive single to left centerfield took that away from him.

The Mets II clinched the win with a convincing 12-0 scoreline. Over the course of the two games only two Herts players managed to get a hit and the team as whole went 3-for-41, a batting average .073. Ravens Player-Manager, Carlos Casal, who is on the disabled list didn’t want to dwell too much on the outcome of this doubleheader. He said “It is best if we put this game behind us, put it out of our heads, recharge the batteries and come back strong next weekend against the Leones de Feltham”.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Falcons look to end Mets’ unbeaten run this Sunday and blow the title race wide open

Herts Falcons’ wins on Sunday moved them up to second place in the NBL standings to set up an almighty encounter with the London Mets. It is arguably the biggest game of the NBL season so far – first against second. A sweep for Herts will move them into joint first place with the Mets, however if the Mets prevail they will open up a 3 or even a 4-game gap between them and the next team in the chasing pack, which would virtually secure an automatic postseason spot for the Mets.

The Londoners are still unbeaten this season (8-0) reminiscent of the invincible Mets of 2008 who went on to win the NBL title. The Southampton Mustangs went close to ending their winning streak two weeks ago taking them into extra innings but eventually losing 1-0. 3 weeks ago the Herts Falcons travelled to Finsbury Park and also came close but lost 4-2. That game proved to be a fiery affair. There isn’t any specific history of ill-feeling between the two teams. It has just been a case of the two teams fired up in what is proving to be a very competitive and exciting season.

In their first meeting the pitching matchups were Julian Summers (Mets) versus Darrin Ward (Falcons) in game one and Pietro Sollecito (Mets) versus Robbie Unsell (Falcons) in game two. Sollecito has been sensational leading the League in ERA (0.78) so he is a certainty to start one of the games, but beyond this it is difficult to predict the pitching matchups for this Sunday as both managers are spoilt for choice with large number of other starting pitching options.

Sunday’s clash is also a meeting of what are considered to be the two largest baseball clubs in Great Britain. Below we have put together a chart comparing various aspects of the two clubs. In terms of infrastructure and facilities they are more or less equal. The two organisations are also equal in terms of the number of their affiliated teams, with 7 teams each. However, the London Mets have a superior championship-winning record with 6 league titles, while Herts have 2.

Statistically this season the Mets have been outstanding so as expected they rank higher in all main categories with the exception of home runs where the Falcons have a slight advantage after home runs by Cris Hiche and Ryan Bird so far this season.

Herts will have home field advantage this Sunday and they will count on their loyal supporters to come out in force and help the team end London’s run. (click here for address and directions to Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead). Game starts at 1pm.

Two other top-of-the-table games from the BBF Single-A League will be played on the same day at Grovehill Ballpark. The Herts Eagles host the Richmond Dukes at 10am while the Herts Raptors will play the Essex Redbacks immediately after that from around 2pm.

 

HERTS FALCONS

LONDON METS

CLUB FACTS

1996

Year founded

1998

2

Adult baseball diamonds

1

0

Youth baseball diamonds

1

0

Softball diamonds

1

NUMBER OF BBF LEAGUE TEAMS

1

National Baseball League (NBL)

1

1

AAA League

2

1

AA League

1

2

A League

1

1

U17 League

1

1

U14 League

1

7

Total

7

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS (Runner-up in brackets)

0 (1)

NBL

2 (0)

1 (0)

AAA League

0 (0)

0 (1)

AA League

0 (0)

0 (0)

A League

0 (0)

0 (0)

U17 League

2 (2)

1 (1)

U14 League

2 (1)

2 (3)

Total

6 (3)

NBL 2013 SEASON

8-4

Wins-Losses

8-0

2nd

League position

1st

W2

Current streak

W8

7.25 (3rd)

Runs scored per game

8.13 (1st)

4.33 (3rd)

Runs allowed per game

2.63 (1st)

.305 (5th)

Batting average

.311 (3rd)

.365 (5th)

Slugging average

.388 (4th)

2 (3rd)

Home runs

0 (-)

3.14 (5th)

ERA

2.00 (2nd)

16

Fielding Errors

11

 

by Cristobal Hiche

Mustangs and Falcons put on a show on par with MLB

Sunday's NBL clash proved to be a real battle (photo by Richard Lee)

written by Cristobal Hiche

NBL (Game 1) Herts Falcons 2 Southampton Mustangs 0 (click to view box scores)

If last week games were close, these games were literally down to the wire. Both games were decided in the last 2 innings. The first game was a pitching duel between injured Robbie Unsell and Gary Davison for Southampton Mustangs. The duel was so good that Robbie ended up with 10K and Gary with 5K. Clearly not much was happening on the field and solid defence on both sides kept more or less the bases empty. Both teams had a few men on base. While Mustangs tried playing small ball to advance the runners, Falcons were looking for line drives to spark a rally. In the bottom of the 6th, Falcons 2nd batter Phil Clark managed to walk and all indicated Falcons should try to play small ball and advance the runner. However the dilemma for manager Lee Manning was that the heart of the order (3rd-5th batter) was coming up. Ryan Bird solved this dilemma by hitting the 1st pitch deep into RF. A blast that put Herts 2-0 ahead and psychologically KO’ing Southampton. They couldn’t do anything on top of the 7th with Robbie striking out the last 2 batters. A solid, much-needed win for a Falcons that didn’t have the starting line-up. Dave House, Jordan Farkas, Dave Tretheway, and Xavi Gonzalez were all missing this afternoon. However, AAA call-ups Louie Hare and Mike Cattlemore, and the season debut of Kevin Niedringhaus and Felix Perez did a tremendous job to minimise the absence of the regular players.

Moments after the game-ending play of game two

NBL (Game 2) Herts Falcons 4 Southampton Mustangs 3 (click to view box scores)

The second game was no different. Mustangs were able to score 1 run in the top of the 1st and Falcons couldn’t get anything going in their favour. But in the bottom of the 3rd all of a sudden Falcons looked like the team we used to see last year. Everybody started to hit or being selective at the plate, drawing walks. The result was 4 runs in one inning which we haven’t seen since the game against Nationals a few months ago. Michael Osborn, who before this game had a lifetime record of 5-0 against Southampton, was keeping their bats quite with his nasty curveball. The curveball was impressive as seen from the press box but that meant that Michael’s arm was getting a bit tired and Mustangs managed to score a run thanks to a solo HR by Alberto Rodriguez. Falcons allowed the Mustangs to load the bases but Osborn used his remaining energy to induce ex-Falcons player Kimiyoshi Saionji to a pop-fly to end the inning. Manager Lee Manning took the right decision to bring Robbie Unsell who was sitting on the bench due to his injury to come and close the game. It was a gamble since Robbie had already pitched 7 innings and Mustangs knew what to look for. Southampton managed to have men on 1st and 3rd thanks to a dropped 3rd strike that Lee Manning couldn’t properly handle. The reason was that Lee had just come into the game due to (again!) a minor injury to starting catcher Dave Westfallen and Robbie’s slider was wicked all day long. Lee didn’t expect that big drop at the end of the pitch. However, in a very strange decision that will leave many Mustang fans puzzled, Justin Frosina who was 1-3 in the game, was sent to try the squeeze play not once, not twice, but 3 times and that meant he bunted foul with 2 strikes which is an automatic strikeout. And to add drama to this ending, another nasty slider meant Lee had to block the ball which escaped just a few feet down the 3rd base side. Alberto Rodriguez decided to take the risk and steal home and in a very close play at home he was tagged out by Robbie Unsell who went to cover the plate. Unfortunately he re-injured his ankle. This meant it wasn’t much of a victory celebration as all teammates went to home plate to check on him. He had to be carried off the field and in a class act, all Southampton players clapped to wish Robbie all the best in his recovery.

Lee Manning said after the game: “Our pitching and defence were amazing today. We got some timely hitting but our hitting still needs to improve a bit.” Asked if it’s still a worry that Falcons are not scoring many runs, Falcons manager replied: “[Given the amount of injuries] I’m not too worried about the lack of hitting. Once we get our 9 starters I think our hitting will pick up. Now it’s a matter to win enough games to get us into the post-season. These 2 victories take us a bit closer to that goal.” On the other side of the field we were given a similar analysis: “[Both games] were hard fought. I think for both sides they were not bad games. These two low-scoring games went against expectations given the offensive power we both have shown in the past. We’re obviously not happy with the two losses and with the amount of runs that we scored”.

Both games were fantastic and as a reporter I will allow myself to give an opinion. Although I agree with both managers that these have been very good offensively teams in the past and the box scores for today clearly shows a lack of that, I think they were not just good games. I think they were MLB type games. I think this does not reflect that hitting was missing but rather that pitching has greatly improved. As a reporter who has covered many leagues around the world, it is always the case that pitching is always behind hitting. You just need to look no further than lower-tier leagues here in the UK where most games end up with 20+ runs. The average MLB game is only about 8 runs. Thus to me these games were better quality, still with some offensive action (2HR, one in each game by each team), close plays, close calls, and every single error by all those involved in the field can make a big difference. What does this mean? Better quality baseball in the UK and an open invitation to all fans to come down support Herts Falcons knowing you’ll have a great experience at the ballpark!

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Raptors end losing streak and are back in playoff race

BBF A-League, Herts Raptors 18 London Marauders 13

written by Glen Downer

A beautiful morning greeted us as we all gathered in Finsbury Park ready for what promised to be a tough matchup for both teams. Batting first the Raptors made their intentions known straight from the first pitch, hit after hit ensued, and before the Marauders could even get warmed up the bases were full of Raptor baserunners, Brodie Caress picking up the first of his three hits on the day, Glen Downer driving one through the hole in his first AB of the 2013 season. Arnie Longboy stroked a clean hit to straightaway centre, followed by Ken Pike with another signature line drive for a couple of what would be 3 RBI’s on the day! Before we knew it, we had 8 runs on the board, and a lead that would never be lost.

Brodie Caress then stepped up on the hill as the starting pitcher for the Raptors and settled in quickly throwing strikes and making it difficult for the Marauders to hit, sadly a few Raptor errors allowed London to get a few guys on base and score a couple of runs, but we still had a healthy lead going into the second inning. 3 more runs for the Raptors in the top of the second after another great display of hitting created a nice cushion for Brodie to continue his great pitching, allowing only 2 hits on the day and 4 earned runs in 3 innings, he managed to strike out an impressive 5 batters!

Sadly due to pitch count Brodie had to be relieved following the third inning, but up stepped the boy wonder, side armer Will Zucker. Will proved to be a great force on the mound, hitter after hitter failed to make good contact, totally bemused by the great movement from Zucker’s pitches. Unable to contend with a combination of fastballs, sliders and curves the Marauders were limited to just 7 hits from Zucker, who also fanned an impressive 5 batters over 5.1 innings, also allowing just 4 earned runs. Once again the curse of the young pitcher struck and Will had to be relieved, but up stepped the reliable Jeff Witter to close things out for us.

Just requiring two outs to seal a magnificent win against tough opposition Jeff didn’t disappoint. After inheriting a baserunner from an early hit, Jeff allowed a walk and just one hit which drove in a single Marauder run. Then with some fine glove work and a very on-the-ball Ken Pike who put on a great display after relieving the always solid Jake Caress behind the plate, the final out was made at first to end a great ballgame.

Despite a few infield errors, which can largely be blamed on the poor field conditions at Finsbury Park, the Raptors were solid, and put on a fine display of hitting and great base running, with nearly all players picking up stolen bases, Ken Pike once again leading the pack with 3, clearly going for the stolen base award once again! Well done to ALL the Raptors that brought home a much needed victory and keep those post-season hopes alive.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Eagles comeback in the bottom of the ninth with 2 outs to go top of the league

MK Coyotes 19 Herts Eagles 20

Grovehill Ballpark, Hemel Hempstead

written by Duncan Hoyle

MK Coyotes were the visitors to face the Herts Eagles on a warm and sunny day at Grovehill.

With little more than a month of the BBF Single A season gone, already the impressive Coyotes were looking to pull away at the top of Pool A, helped by an opening day win over the Eagles and a hard fought victory last Sunday against the Herts Raptors.

The Eagles were handed a pre-game boost however, with the news that the AA Hawks had no game in their already disrupted season. This meant that several Hawks were eager to drop down to play for the Eagles to get in some much needed game time. Manager Duncan Hoyle had no hesitation in taking advantage of this, with Andrew Slater, Ilya Dimitrov and Kal Dimitrov inserted into the Eagles starting lineup.

And it was former Raptors manager Andrew Slater who took the mound for pitching duties, up against MK’s John Suk, Suk already with 2 pitching wins to his name this season.

Pitching dominated the early exchanges, both Slater and Suk got into a good rhythm. Defence was well on top and at the end of the 4th the Eagles were 6 – 4 in front. Serge Plata was having a tremendous game at second base for the Eagles, being involved in several tag outs and hitting 5 for 6 during the day.

In the 5th and 6th the Eagles were able to build up their lead, increasing the advantage to 15 – 6 at the end of the 7th, coming within 1 run of forcing the mercy rule win.

However the determined Coyotes always looked capable of hitting their way back into the game, and with Slaters arm now tiring he came out of the game with no outs and the bases loaded in the top of the 8th. Duncan Hoyle came in to relieve and had no time to find his range, as MK started their comeback in agressive fashion. By end of the half inning the Coyotes had scored 10 to edge in front for the first time in the game. The Eagles hit back with 3 to have a 2 run lead going into the 9th.

The Coyotes scored 3 in the top half of the inning to lead by a single. Certainly the Eagles were confident they could score the two require to win but within a couple of minutes the Eagles dug out was in near disbelieving silence as first Slater was grounded out by a tremedous play from short stop and then for the first time on the day Serge Plata failed to make base thanks to a good catch from the Coyotes catcher and manager Mo Hamden.

It really was last chance saloon for the Eagles and with a demorilising defeat now staring them right in the face, Duncan Hoyle turned to feared slugger Adrian Smithers, who had injured himself in the pre-game warm up, to pinch hit with 2 outs and no one on base. With 2 strikes on him he somehow managed to drive a pitch to left field to get himself on first base. Despite being unable to run properly, and with no subs left able to pinch run, he found the strenght to steal 2nd a couple of pitches later and get himself in scoring position. Tom Kosak, who had had a productive day with the bat, was now up to bat and he managed to hit an infield slow roller to get on base and bat Smithers round to 3rd. Kosak stole 2nd base on the next pitch to leave the evergreen Kal Dimitrov in the batters box looking for the vital hit. And Dimitrov was able to make contact to get a hit just over the infield into shallow outfield, leaving just enough time for Smithers to hobble round to score and Kosak to get home to leave the Eagles bench jubilant.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Residents of St Albans show appetite for baseball

While the Herts U11 and U14 players were competing at the youth baseball event in Richmond, a dozen of the club’s adult and U17 league players travelled to the nearby city of St Albans in Hertfordshire to promote the game of baseball in the community.

St Albans City and District Council had invited Herts Baseball Club as well as 16 other sports to take part in this event which included the opening of a new beach volleyball venue at Verulamium Park in St Albans made with 4000 tonnes of sand taken directly from the 2012 London Olympics venue at Horse Guards Parade.

The Mayor of St Albans City and District, Councillor Annie Brewster, opened the new venue and the sports activities began. The Park started to fill up and by early afternoon Herts Baseball had attracted many members of the public who showed interest to give baseball a go. They had a chance to try all aspects of the game – batting, throwing, catching, fielding and more. The majority of them were boys and girls some as young as 3 years of age, but there were also some older teenagers and a large number of mums who wanted to play, which was great to see. Herts Baseball Club certainly has the ability to offer baseball or softball to male and female players of all ages.

As crowds stated to gather around the baseball area and soon there were enough members f the public to start a game. It began with 6 or 7 players per team, and quickly rose to 15+ players per team, so at that point it became difficult to give everyone the full baseball game experience, but all those involved received promotional materials and details of how to get involved on a more regular basis with the Herts youth and adult league teams.

 

by ChrisJones

Giants Take a 2-1 Lead in U11s

You can learn a lot of surprising things from following @hertsbaseball on twitter or HertsBaseballClub on facebook.

Sure, you get the latest results from the Herts baseball community, including the Eagles’ recent 31-30 triumph over the Raptors. (As our friends at Southampton Mustangs commented, when did Herts switch to playing American football?)

But you also pick up snippets of news from the baseball world outside the HP postcode area. Such as the story that Prince Harry hit a ball out of the park when visiting a team in New York. Or the revelation that David Cameron has been mugging up on baseball books to prepare for his latest meeting with President Obama. Clearly, we need to sign Harry up for the Raptors, and I’m sure Coach Mike can find a role for the PM as assistant U11 coach.

While those negotiations are ongoing, our existing coaching staff continues its work in developing this promising group of Under-11s. And so to the third game in the Giants v Dodgers series, on 18th May. The series was tied 1-1, after the Giants recorded a 7-6 win the previous week.

This time the Giants were the visitors and first up. On the mound: Alex Trautman. Nicholas Durer got the scoring underway with a triple, bringing Christian Lynch home for an RBI. Three strike-outs later, the Dodgers had a chance to reply, as Lewis Auchterlounie made his pitching debut for the Giants. After Alex Trautman reached on error, Lucas Lebrato hit a line drive to the fence and got right round the bases before the Giants were able to get the ball back to the catcher. 2-1 Dodgers.

Top of the second – Lewis Auchterlounie drove in a double, and Alex Jones hit a single to move Lewis to third. Alex turned to run for second, but was tagged out, although this allowed Lewis to reach home base for the Giants’ second run. After detailed post-game consultations regarding rule 10.04, the scorers, perhaps harshly, declined to grant Alex the RBI in this case.

Christian Lynch pitched the second inning for the Giants. A strikeout and two professional-looking groundouts between third baseman Josh Jones and first baseman Nicholas Durer kept the Dodgers scoreless. 2-2.

Back to the top of the order for the Giants. Nicholas Durer hit another double, and made it to home base on error after a single from Ben Jupp. For the Dodgers, Alex Trautman, Lucas Lebrato, Joe Gipple, Noah Haines and Rory Vangundy all hit singles, resulting in three runs to bring the score to 5-3 Dodgers.

In the fourth, both teams had runners in scoring position but couldn’t add to their totals.

In the fifth and final inning, the Giants hit their stride. With Lucas Lebrato now pitching, Josh Jones singled, and Ben Jupp hit a ground rule double. These two made it home on the next play after a couple of errors in the field, to tie the score. At this point, Lucas had struck out two Giants batters, and the Giants had two runners in scoring position. The match hung in the balance. Then Alex Jones singled for an RBI and the Giants had a one-run lead.

Maybe it was the tension, or maybe a little tiredness was creeping in. But the Dodgers seemed to be losing their edge in the field; a string of errors allowed the Giants to score two more, and load the bases once again. Josh Jones then drove in a two-RBI single, and suddenly the Giants were up 10-5.

This proved too much for the Dodgers, who were scoreless in the final inning under pressure from some accurate pitching from Josh Jones.

The Giants and Dodgers now combine forces to represent Herts in under-11 games at an event in Richmond on Saturday 25th May. Results for those games, together with other important breaking news stories, will be available on your social network of choice.

Season Statistics

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Falcons are back at home this Sunday as Mustangs come to town

We are in the month of May and the title race is rarely decided so early in the baseball season, but with the teams so tightly packed in the standings every game is a must win for every team. A loss could be the difference between an automatic NBC spot and the playoffs or missing out on the postseason altogether.

The top game this weekend is the NBL clash between the third-placed Herts Falcons (6-4) and the Southampton Mustangs (7-3) who are a game ahead in second place.

The Mustangs will be travelling to Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead after a defeat against the league-leading London Mets which ended their impressive 6-game winning streak. Despite this they will be in a confident mood as one of the major forces in the NBL this season. Their roster includes Gary Davison who leads the NBL in homeruns (3) and RBIs (14). Davison broke Falcons’ hearts in 2006 pitching a complete game win in extra innings as a player of Burgess Hill to relegate the team from Herts from the AAA down to the AA league. Southampton also brings a lot of speed on the bases with the leader in stolen bases Victor Aizpura (23). The Falcons will face their new signing Czech pitcher, Tomas Zondra, for the first time. He pitched 8 epic innings against the London Mets last Sunday but was unfortunate to end up as the losing pitcher in a classic 1-0 game. Sunday’s game will also see the return of legendary Herts slugger, Kimiyoshi Saionji, who changed the Falcons jersey for that of the Mustangs in the second week of the season.

The Falcons go into the game with some injury concerns. Arguably the best middle infield duo in British baseball of Robbie Unsell and Xavier Gonzalez sustained injuries last Sunday in the game against the Essex Arrows. It is uncertain whether or not they will be able to recover in time for Sunday’s titanic clash. It will all be decided in their last-minute fitness tests. Ace pitcher, Jordan Farkas, has also been unable to pitch over the last few weeks, so he is also a doubt. If they cannot regain 100% fitness, others on the Herts roster will have to step up and keep the club’s title hopes alive. Several players from Herts Ravens – the club’s AAA-affiliate – are on standby and could make an appearance.

Farnham Park - British Baseball's Wembley Stadium (photo by Liam Carroll/BSUK)

The photos of Farnham Park published this week have injected extra excitement in the British baseball community as the brand new purpose-built facility will host its first ever NBL postseason final this September. Herts Falcons Manager, Lee Manning, already stated the team’s goal to get there and try to win the NBL title. If they are to achieve this they will need strong support from their fans in home games like this Sunday’s doubleheader, especially in weeks when the roster is decimated with injuries. It will certainly be good to see the Falcons back at home after a 7-week road trip. First pitch is at 12pm.

CAN EAGLES EXTEND WINNING STREAK

Before the start of the season no one would have believed that the Eagles (2-2) could go top of the Single-A table this Sunday, but that’s exactly what will happen if they manage to overcome the visiting Milton Keynes Coyotes (3-1). The two teams met on Opening Day. The Coyotes came out on top on that occasion but there is a new sense of optimism among the Eagles who will be looking to make it 3 wins in 3 games. Duncan Hoyle’s players will have home-field advantage (first pitch 12pm).

At the same time in Finsbury Park the Herts Raptors (2-2) will be looking to restart their season. After two wins in their opening two games, the Raptors’ campaign has stuttered with two losses in the last two games. Both of these games were lost by the smallest of run-differences, but that will not make the losses easier to swallow. They will face the London Marauders (3-1) who top their Single-A Pool.

HERTS YOUNGSTERS HEAD SOUTH TO RICHMOND

While the Herts U17 players take part in the promotional event in St Albans and others join up with the Great Britain U16 National Team, the club’s U14 and U11 teams will be making the trip down to Richmond for a very special event bringing together some of the best youth teams in those age groups from around London. The hosts have put a great deal of effort to make this a very special event. Apart from the baseball, those who take part can look forward to the gourmet BBQ and pig roast, pastries and more. A great way to start the Bank Holiday weekend.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Baseball to compete with 16 other sports in St Albans this Saturday

St Albans City and District Council has invited Herts Baseball Club to take part in the opening of a new beach volleyball venue this Saturday, May 25. Verulamium Park in St Albans, is one of 6 successful venues to gain a new beach volleyball court after the Olympics. It is made with 4000 tonnes of sand taken directly from the 2012 London Olympics venue at Horse Guards Parade.

Coaches and players from the Herts adult and youth teams will run various baseball activities and will invite members of the public to give baseball a go and take part in several baseball competitions which will be taking place throughout the day.

Baseball will be one of 17 different sports which will be exhibited during the event. “This is an exciting opportunity to promote our club and the game of baseball in the community” said Herts Baseball Club President, Aspi Dimitrov. He added that “the club is seeing this as a competition with the other 16 sports to see who will attract more members of the public”.

The opening ceremony will commence at 11:30am and activities of the 17 different sports running from 12pm to 4pm. The event will also feature BBQ and other snacks and refreshments, music, circus skills, face painting etc. so it is expected to be an enjoyable event for the whole family. Any members of Herts Baseball Club or the wider community are able to come and take part in this event, free of charge.

The baseball activities will be held at the playing area on the back of the “Inn on the Park Cafe” at Verulamium Park. Click for address, map, car park options and other venue details

by Rob Jones

Eagles strike again, devour Redbacks

Herts Eagles 40-23 Essex Redbacks III, Forest Glade, Sunday 19th May

The Eagles travelled to the Essex Redbacks on Sunday with hopes high that they could build on the walk-off win over the Raptors. Both teams went into the game with 1-2 records, and all to play for.

It started well enough for Herts as the Eagles bats got to work. Mike Cresswell hit his first double of the day, while Will Belbin also picked straight up where he had left off the week before, and drove in a run. The Eagles batted one to nine, and scored four runs.

Mike Cresswell
Mike Cresswell was once again a star for the Eagles

But once again they made life hard for themselves in the field in the first inning. Serge Plata was starting on the mound, and while the Redbacks showed little sign that they could handle his looping curveballs, they reached base on errors and the shortest of infield hits. Plata was also having trouble getting into the strike zone, so patience at the plate helped the Essex side to six walks and ten runs.

Manager Duncan Hoyle had taken over pitching duties to get out of the inning and he confidently reminded his troops that they were capable of scoring runs, and of defending much better. He helped to show the way with 3 hits and 4 RBIs, as well as striking out three batters. The Eagles tightened up their fielding to hold the home side scoreless in the bottom of the second inning, and the game was now tied at 10-10.

The Redbacks manager Dave Jesshop had started solidly on the mound but the Herts batters had now sized him up and began to show their prowess at the plate. There were hits for left-fielder Jamie Lang, third baseman Tomasz Kosak, and slugging catcher Adrian Smithers.

Aggressive base running was also helping to keep the score ticking over — Adam Landau-Smithers stole six bases on the day, including a steal of home, and he scored five runs. The third inning broke the back of the game. Herts had scored 18 runs in all and led 28-14 once Essex had replied.

However, the win over the Raptors showed that even a big lead could be overcome and the Eagles sideline was staying focused on the task. Rob Jones led off the fourth inning with a booming double to left field, while Serge Plata — as well as settling in at shortstop – hit a consistent stream of doubles.

Essex never gave up hope, and continued to add to their total, but were not eating into the Herts lead. By now, the sun had come out at Forest Glade and it was a perfect baseball setting as the Eagles looked to seal the win by the mercy rule.

Catcher Adrian Smithers got 4 hits and 4 stolen bases

Mike Cresswell moved from first base to become the closer in the bottom of the seventh. He had added Herts final insurance run in the top of the inning, and now sat down the first two Redbacks he faced. There was then a brief glimpse of life for Essex as runners got aboard. But the mountain to climb was too high and the final out was secured without a run scoring.

The Eagles now move to 2-2 on the season, with an impressive 104 runs scored. Everyone had contributed with the bat or the glove, including the injured Manny Banson who had to be called off the bench to play left field. Duncan Hoyle was full of praise for his players: “They really showed what they can do and deserved the win. We are getting better all the time and there is no need for the Eagles to fear anyone.”