Category: Headlines

by Herts Baseball News Editor

London Metros dominate against Herts Ravens

The London Metros picked up two comfortable wins against the Herts Ravens in the British AAA League. In both games of the doubleheader the Ravens kept up with the pace of the Metros up to the fourth inning and were very much in the game, but devastating batting display by the team from the capital in the fifth and sixth innings took the games beyond the reach of the Ravens.

Seth Lipstock was back for Herts and he made the defensive play of the day. That sparked a discussion in the Herts Ravens dugout about giving Lipstock an outing on the mound and see if opponents can handle the heat (photo by Will Baxter)

The Metros had the luxury of their NBL team resting this weekend and were able to call upon the services of two of their NBL starting pitchers. Ordinarily, under the league rules NBL pitchers would not be able to pitch in the lower leagues, however by virtue of the fact that the London Mets had played only two league games so far, pitchers who have pitched less than 14 innings for the London Mets in the NBL were able to pitch in this AAA league game. Right-hander Pietro Sollecito gave Herts a concoction of breaking pitches mixed with a change of speed which the visitors were not able to cope with. Sollecito allowed only 4 hits in 5 innings. Carlos Casal, Carlos Velazco-Carus and Dave Westfallen seemed most likely to make solid contact with his pitches and they did produce 3 of the 4 hits. In the bottom half of the innings the Metros always seemed to threaten, even in innings when they were not able to score any runs.

Click to view Game 1 box scores

Jonathan Cramman, the other member of the London Mets (NBL) pitching staff, started on the mound in game two. He also allowed only 4 Herts hits over 6 innings of work. 3 of those hits came in the fourth inning which put the Ravens right back in the game with the score 3-2 to the Metros, but once again London’s bats came alive in the last few innings of the game to complete a deserved 12-2 win.

Seth Lipstock made his first appearance of the season for the Ravens and he showed why he was one of the top performers for the Herts Hawks last season in what was the defensive play of the day. With 1 out Lipstock made a spectacular flyball catch in left field and then threw the ball all the way to home plate on a frozen rope straight into the glove of catcher Jake Caress to apply the tag on the helmet of the oncoming London player who was trying to score on the sacrifice fly. The runner managed to make contact with home plate just before the tag was applied, but that didn’t take away from the impressive throw which fans would expect to see from outfielders like Ichiro or Jeff Francoeur, but not in a AAA League game.

Click to view Game 2 box scores

“We couldn’t have asked for any more from our pitchers Mike Cattermole ad Carlos Velazco-Carus. We just couldn’t produce offensively to keep us in the games” said Herts Ravens Manager, Carlos Casal at the end of the day. He added “Despite the heavy defeats, the score does not tell the full story of these games. There were many positives and my players performed very well”.

With four defeats in the opening four games of the season, this is not the ideal start for the Ravens, but the Hawks had a similarly difficult start last year and ended up in the AA-League postseason and the national semi-finals. The team will certainly stay positive in the knowledge that over these first four games they had to field two very different teams due to player injuries and unavailability. When players like Jon Lewys, Louis Hare, Nic Goetz, Pete Kikel and Rod Naghar – all with previous NBL experience – make their first appearance of the season, the Herts Ravens are expected to be in much better position to compete against the big guns of the AAA League.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Raptors come back to win against tough Old Timers

Pitcher Will Zucker was all smiles as he helped his team secure a vital win against one of the favorites in the Single-A League

Herts Raptors 19 Old Timers 18

BBF Single-A League

written by Ken Pike

The Herts Raptors have placed themselves firmly in pole position of the BBF Single A division after a hard fought four hour battle with arch rivals The Old Timers resulted in a thrilling comeback victory.

The team from Enfield visiting Grovehill had taken the early lead as the Herts defence committed a series of errors around the field, plating 2 runs in each of the first innings before the Raptors could bring their bats back to life in the bottom of the second, scoring 3 runs to get back into the game. Young pitcher Zack Longboy was showing a return to form on the mound, which helped keep the scores low, but some messy backup indicated the start of what would be at times a very difficult and painful fight.

A clean third inning for both teams gave signs that the Herts defence had woken up, but five runs in the top of the fourth tired Zack’s arm and put the Old timers in a commanding 6 run lead, with a further 2 added without reply in the fifth.

Another young pitcher had taken the mound for Herts though, and as Will Zucker started to find his stride, and catcher Ken Pike noticed the unhittable nature of the boy’s curve ball, the game’s momentum changed. Will cleaned out the batters in order for the sixth inning at the same time that the Old Timers let tempers fray over an umpiring call. The resultant lapse off concentration and change of pitcher led to the Raptors bat’s suddenly finding traction. Once around the order, 6 runs scored and a couple left on base left another Old Timer pitcher tired while tempers flared even further.

The Raptors, now only 3 runs down, were looking much more composed and took the initiative to come back swinging. Two Old Timer runs in the top of the seventh were answered by four from Herts and only 1 run in it. At this point the simmering tension from the away team boiled over with arguments across the field. The brilliant young Will Zucker boiled over with confidence instead and cleaned out another inning in order before going to bat in the bottom of the eighth inning to sign seal and deliver his demand for the game ball by slamming another double in an inning where six runs would put Herts into the lead for the very first time.

They went into the top of the ninth knowing that keeping the Old Timers to five runs or less would mean guaranteed victory, while even a greater dent could still be overcome in the bottom. However, Zucker’s arm was tiring, and one by one the Old timers started to make their mark on the inning. After several runners got home and no further outs to get into, coach Arnie Longboy made the tough, but correct choice of replacing the young star with seasoned closer Jeff Whitter who came in with a three run lead.

Jeff’s calm and accurate display let only one more runner in before the Herts defence did their jobs taking down the required outs in short succession. Whilst several players had lost count during the inning, some wondered if we had won or would need to go out to bat with a small but dangerous margin to overcome. The rest however knew that they had overcome a team they so loved to beat, and cheered jubilantly knowing that they were now in pole position for the league.

Click to view box scores

Stand-out performances from all pitchers garnered special praise from the manager while Short Stop Theo Scheeper’s potent hitting display nailed four hits, including one double and 5 RBIs.

Coach Arnie will be sure to demand that his team bring their best defensive performance much earlier in the game from now on and cut out some of the silly errors that so nearly cost them dear, but he will also be glad to see the offence create 19 runs against a strong defensive team like the Old Timers. The total of 61 runs from two games and a 100% win ratio is certainly the best of starts to the 2013 Raptors season and a stark contrast to the two losses that in the end cost them so dearly last year.

by ChrisJones

Giants and Dodgers Back to Business

Honestly, you’d think I’d have learned by now.

After, what, three seasons of taking my sons to Hemel Hempstead to play baseball, I should be used to the unusual climatic conditions to be found at Grovehill Ballpark.

But on Saturday I stepped outside my front door in North London, sniffed the warm spring air, glanced at the boys in their Herts T-shirts and we drove north. We pulled up at the ballpark, under menacing dark clouds, in temperatures fully fifteen degrees lower than when we left. All around me were better-prepared families with puffa jackets, skiing gloves and thermos flasks.

Aspi gathered us together for the Opening Ceremony, sound system at the ready. In truth, Aspi serves as Herts Baseball President solely so that he can play at being DJ to large crowds. Move over Fatboy Slim… Aspi’s in the house.

The massed ranks of the newly-renamed Herts Harriers, Herts Cardinals, and the two Herts U11 teams assembled on the first base line. With them stood the visiting London Mets U17 team, exchanging puzzled looks. On the horizon, it looked grim. Those dark clouds drew nearer.

The National Anthem was played. Caps were doffed; Americans amongst us placed hand on heart and sang lustily, while the Brits kept quiet and looked vaguely uneasy.  It always seems incongruous to hear “God Save the Queen”, rather than “The Star-Spangled Banner”.  Yet, given the approaching precipitation, a better choice might have been “Hail to the Chief”.

After taking refuge in the changing rooms, we headed off to play the U11 season opener. The under-14s had a practice session, so we had the unusual privilege of playing on the old diamond.

The transfer market has been active during the off season. The Giants traded Alex Trautman in exchange for Nicholas Durer, while Noah Haines also made the switch to the Dodgers. Both teams have benefited from a number of draft picks. For the Giants, we welcome Sebastian Bohn, Lenny Flavin, and the Zneimer trio of Lily, Lexi and Leo. The Dodgers are also proud to announce their new signings – Chloe and Callie Amsterdam, Amber Chisholm and Joe Gipple.

The game was a rain-shortened four inning affair. This season we will have players pitching; after four balls a coach will pitch until the batter is out or gets on base.

With the Dodgers as the home team, Ozan Martin opened the pitching with an impressive display of control, striking out the first three Giants batters.

Christian Lynch pitched first for the Giants, and drew Alex Trautman into flying out to Oliver Durer at shortstop, before William Morillo fell to a 4-3 ground-out, and Jonathan Wakelam struck out swinging.  So 0-0 after the first.

After another two strikeouts, the Giants got bat on ball in the second inning; Nicholas Durer and Lexi Zneimer hit singles, leaving Nicholas on third, but alas Lily Zneimer hit a flyball to Ozan as pitcher to end the inning.

Joshua Jones now took over pitching duties for the Giants. With Ozan Martin and Thomas Garton on base, Noah Haines doubled on a wild throw to bring home Ozan for the RBI. Chloe Amsterdam then stepped up to hit a line drive double for a second run, and her sister Callie singled for another RBI, making it 3-0 to the Dodgers after two.

Alex Trautman now pitched for the Dodgers. With one out, Noah Lynch, Leo Zneimer and Lenny Flavin each hit singles to load the bases. Lewis Auchterlounie drove home one run although Leo was forced out at third. The Giants were denied a second run as Lenny Flavin was tagged out at third base.

With Ben Jupp now on the mound, the Dodgers batters hit their groove, with singles from Joe Gipple, Alex Trautman, Jonathan Wakelam, Ozan Martin, Thomas Garton, Rory Vangundy and Noah Haines. Five runs were scored, which automatically brought the inning to an end.  The scoreboard showed 8-1 to the Dodgers after three, and the Giants had a lot of ground to make up.

New signing Lucas Lebrato pitched the last for the Dodgers, an inning characterized by some strong hitting from Ben Jupp and Joshua Jones. But Lebrato managed to find the strike zone with some good accurate pitching, and finally struck out Nicholas Durer to end the inning as the rain returned. With the score at 8-2, that was the ballgame – no need for the Dodgers to bat again.

All the pitchers on display showed great promise – there will clearly be stiff competition for the coveted All-Starts starting pitcher slot.

Players, coaches and supporters alike deserved three cheers and a warming cup of cocoa (available at a very reasonable price on the concession stand). They call baseball players the “Boys [and girls] of Summer” for a reason – it’s a tough game to play in the cold. We should reassure new players and their families that the sun sometimes shines at Grovehill. But whatever Tomasz Schafernaker may say, always throw a coat in the back of the car.

Giants:

Dodgers:

by Herts Baseball News Editor

London beat Herts in extra innings of a wild game

The ceremonial first pitch of the 2013 youth baseball season was thrown by the mums who were in attendance. The scouts certainly took notice and perhaps we will be seeing them back in action soon.

The Herts Harriers opened their 2013 season in the BBF U17 League against the most difficult of opponents. The London Mets have won the U17 national championship in 2 out of the last 3 seasons and are expected to be one of the main contenders again this year.

Tom Everex-Armstrong started strongly on the mound for Herts maintaining a 2-1 lead going into the third inning, however he appeared to pull a back muscle during one of his deliveries and that took him out of the game. Brodie Caress came in relief and he did well allowing only one earned run, however a series of errors proved to be costly. The Mets took full advantage and took a 7-2 lead.

With a very accomplished pitcher like Taichi on the mound for the visitors from London, this game seemed out of reach for Herts, but they received the boost they needed. Charlie Mayhew led-off the inning and he put up a major fight against Taichi. He managed to get on base with a walk after an epic 11-pitch at bat. From the 11 pitches he saw 8 were with two strikes against him, but he kept fighting off the pitches. A simple walk very rarely brings a team back from a 5-run deficit, but it was the nature of the walk that did it for Herts. The Harriers were back in the game. The players were no longer sitting in desolation. Everyone was up on the dugout fence cheering on the next batter.

That walk led to 5 Herts runs to tie the game 7-7. The Harriers took that momentum into the next inning and took a 9-7 lead going into the last inning. The Mets responded taking a 10-9 lead. In the bottom of that final inning Conner Brown worked a walk and stole his way to third base. Jonny Compton-Weight drove him in to take the game into extra innings with the score 10-10.

Herts Manager, Cris Hiche, had a difficult decision to make. Should he utilise the pitchers he had reserved for the second game of this double-header which would almost certainly have resulted in a loss in game two, or should he save those pitchers for game two and try to win game one in extra innings with less experienced pitchers? Not an easy decision to make. At the end Hiche decided to choose the second option and the gamble didn’t pay off for Herts. The Mets scored 14 runs in extra innings. It must be said that they deserved the win outhitting Herts (9-5), committing less errors (4-5) and allowing less walks (11-17). They also did it with only 8 players.

Click to view box scores of game 1

The weather was becoming worse and the teams and officials agreed to postpone game two, and it is to be rescheduled later in the season. If Cris Hiche had known this, he would have undoubtedly used the starting pitcher designated for game two and the outcome of the game may have been different.

A wild game of baseball which generated a lot of excitement for the spectators and gave us a taste of what can be expected this year. One thing is certain – Herts are firmly in the title-race this season.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Youngest baseball players in Hertfordshire set for Saturday’s season opener

Ahead of this Saturday’s season opening games in the youth leagues we are in conversation with Herts Baseball Club’s Head of Under-11 programme, Mike Wakelam.

The Dodgers versus Giants rivalry resumes this Saturday with the opening day of the 2013 season for the Herts U11 teams. Is one of the teams seen as the favourite or do you expect it to be a close race once again?

Mike Wakelam: It’s been close the past couple of years, and really, at the beginning of the year we feel it’s best to revisit the lineups for each time and make sure both teams are balanced out to ensure a great season’s competition and fun for all.

We understand that several players from the U11 age group will gradually be making the step up to the U14 league. Do you have any specific advice for them?

Mike Wakelam: There are a couple of the under 11s ready to move up this year or definitely next year. Ozan Martin and Oliver Durer are turning 11 in August, so primed to step up when needed in the Under-14 team. They’re both ready, having grown immensely the past couple of years.

There has been a good number of new players joining the U11 teams. If this continues would the club consider creating a new U8 age group and how would this benefit the Herts baseball programme?

Mike Wakelam: We’d love to have an Under-8 age group. The past couple of years we’ve had a few players join, and yes, this year more are interested, but unfortunately not enough to have their own age group. There are a couple of considerations when including Under-8 players in the Under-11 age group. Safety is an important point, as the older players are hitting and throwing the ball harder, but also the enjoyment factor. Young players enjoyment is usually linked to their skills and understanding, and this is different for all players.

Do you have any suggestions for the new U11 players who have joined the league on things they can do during the week at home or in the park to help their development?

Mike Wakelam: Consistency is very important at a young age. So playing catch at home with parents or siblings is a great way to improve skills. Also watching games or youtube skills videos is a great way to get a further understanding of the game.

We understand that the number of U11 teams from other regions is increasing. Will Herts look to use this opportunity to add a few exhibition or interleague games for this age group?

Mike Wakelam: Yes! This season we will be playing several games against other clubs. We’ll be selecting an All-Star team to play these games, giving the older and more experienced players in the age group a chance to display their skills at a higher level of competition.

The parents of the U11 league members are always in attendance on game days to support the teams. Do you have a message to the parents ahead of the new season?

Mike Wakelam: Enjoy! And please try to be on time. The first part of each Saturday is skills work, so for players to improve, they need to be on time. This means at the field with gloves on when it’s time to start. If you want to be in the starting line-up, please try to get to the park on time. Of course it’s fine when players are late with legitimate reasons.

 

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts household names by the end of the season

Herts recently announced the appointment of Jake Caress and Lee Manning as the co-managers of the Herts Cardinals, the club’s U14 league team. We had the opportunity to put some questions to Jake Caress as his team prepares for the start of the U14 season next month.

We are not too far away from Opening Day. Do you feel ready or has the bad weather in March affected preparations?

Jake Caress: In many cases this year the march weather has greatly affect the amount of training in preparation for the season, but all of this aside I believe that the team will be ready for opening day.

What are your main goals for this season?

Jake Caress: The main goal for the Cardinals this year is to work on fundamentals while playing the game but more importantly to have fun.

What win-loss percentage would be seen as a successful season for the team and is it realistic to expect your team to reach the playoffs or even challenge for the title?

Jake Caress: If we could break even with a .500 then I would consider the season very successful, I have high hopes that we will certainly challenge our way into a playoff spot as well.

Who are the players we should look out for this year?

Jake Caress: I haven’t had a chance to look at all of the players this year yet but I’m sure by the end of the season some will be a Herts household name.

Which of your opponents in the league are likely to be the biggest challengers for the national title?

Jake Caress: From what I can remember the London Mets are always tough competition, but there will be others who will also be challenging for the title.

Which league game are you looking forward to most?

Jake Caress: Well it has to be the London Mets game as Southern derby’s go.

The postseason playoffs will be played at the brand new Farnham Park. Will this act as an even greater incentive for players to reach the postseason?

Jake Caress: I hope it will. The new facilities are second to none is this country.

What is your message to Herts Baseball fans ahead of the U14 season?

Jake Caress: We’re going to give it our best and hope to come out with some positive achievements, Play ball!

by Herts Baseball News Editor

New season, new expectations

The Herts Baseball youth program had a good 2012 season and it is expected that 2013 would be even better. Ahead of the new season we put several questions to Herts Harriers (U17) Head Coach Cristobal Hiche who is in his second year in charge of the team and led them to postseason quarter-finals.

We are just days away from the Opening Day clash with the London Mets. Do you feel ready or has the bad weather in March affected preparations?

Cristobal Hiche: No, I don’t feel ready. We haven’t practiced as a team. Maybe individually they’re ready since most attended GB and/or the Academy during the last few months. But baseball is still about teamwork.

What are your main goals for this season?

Cristobal Hiche: To reach the playoffs and fighting to reach the championship game. In other words that no matter if we end up winning or losing in the playoffs, the opposite team will be quite worried until the last pitch of the game. There are other goals off the field to try and make this the best Youth Program in the UK and creating future GB players.

What win-loss percentage would be seen as a successful season for the team and is it realistic to expect your team to reach the playoffs or even challenge for the title?

Cristobal Hiche: We need to finish above .500. That to me is the minimum for the year. We should reach the playoffs and a lofty but achievable goal is to reach the championship game.

Who are the players we should look out for this year?

Cristobal Hiche: There are many players, if not all, in the team that can make an impact this season but also in the future. However, if you ask me for players that should step up to the plate because it’s either their last year in the team and/or are ready to play in the adult league very soon (some already are doing it), those would be Zack Longboy, Marty Cullen Jr, and Jonny Compton-Weight. They’ll need to carry this team this season.

Which of your opponents in the league are likely to be the biggest challengers for the national title?

Cristobal Hiche: I think in U17 every team can be a challenge because kids can grow and improve so fast, a year can make a difference between an ok team and an excellent team the next year. Furthermore because it’s age-specific, you’ll have players getting too old but also getting many new young players. This means you don’t have the consistency for example of NBL teams like Falcons, Nationals, Mets,etc which you know they’ll be strong based on last year’s performance. We’ll have to see each weekend how strong the opposition is, which is actually quite exciting and should be fun.

Which league game are you looking forward to most?

Cristobal Hiche: All of them. Each weekend will be a new challenge as mentioned above…Of course I’m looking forward to the championship game!

The postseason playoffs will be played at the brand new Farnham Park. Will this act as an even greater incentive for players to reach the postseason?

Cristobal Hiche: Maybe, maybe not. I think the incentive for players to make the playoffs should be more than where the playoffs are played. The desire to win should be as a reward for their hard work, commitment, and the love of the game and to say they’re the best team in the UK, regardless if we play in Yankee Stadium or in a barn. Nevertheless, if that’s an extra motivation I’ll take it.

What is your message to Herts Baseball fans ahead of Opening day?

Cristobal Hiche: Come watch us some time. You’ll have fun watching these kids and possibly future GB stars. Besides, there are always some nice doughnuts, hot dogs, and drinks to kill the time.

by Cristobal Hiche

Perfect Falcons travel to Harlow to sweep the Nationals

Cristobal Hiche hit the first Falcons home run of the 2013 season in the first game of the day (photo by Will Baxter)

written by Cris Hiche

The 9-0 in the 1st inning of the first game and 14-0 by the 2nd inning summarises the difference Falcons showed against the 2-time NBL champions Harlow Nationals throughout the day. A lot can be said about the game and both teams will draw their own conclusions. The fact is Falcons did everything perfect. Pitching was great, hitting was great, defence was great, and running was great. With such a high score, there’s bound to be great highlights and there were. Cris Hiche blasted the first home run of the season for the Falcons to right field. The defensive and impressive duo of Robbie Unsell (2B) and Xavi Gonzales (SS) was up to the highest level once again. John Bloise (LF), Barry Wiles (3B), Phil Clark (1B), and Dave House (C) were solid. However, Dave Tretheway (RF) stole the show with a tremendous diving catch.

It is important to note that Nationals looked awful out there and they’ll be the first to admit it. They committed an unusual amount of easy errors from experienced players and their bats were too quiet. Credit to winning pitcher Jordan Farkas, who although didn’t have the velocity of previous outings, managed to control the game. Nevertheless, Nationals is always a dangerous team and was able to score some runs to end up with a more “decent” final score of 16-8 for the Falcons. Pitcher Jordan Farkas said after the game: “My arm was dead since the first inning and didn’t have the speed. So I used my control to outsmart the always dangerous Nationals lineup. I got the run support which is always great for a pitcher.”

Herts pitcher Darrin Ward was in control in game two (photo by Project COBB Photography http://projectcobb.org.uk/)

And if you thought the second game would be much closer and hard-fought, well it wasn’t. It was a deja-vu with again solid defence, running, hitting and pitching by the Falcons. The player of the match was without a doubt pitcher Darrin Ward who with his vast experience shutdown their lineup once again. It was so one-sided that by the bottom of the 7th it was still 8-0 with 2 outs and no man on base. ‘Wardie’ relaxed a bit and walked the next batter. Of course baseball is about momentum and the Nationals used that little window of opportunity to score one run to spoil Darrin Ward’s perfect day and avoid a shutdown (Final score 8-1).

Some of the highlights of the game were some good defensive plays by several Nationals players (trying to stop the numerous Falcons hits) and as imagined, little can be said of the Falcons defence because they were barely challenged. Yet the only time the Nationals could have done something with man on second and one out with a deep fly ball to center, a ‘textbook, MLB style’ 8-6-5 relay was performed to execute the double play and finish the inning. Cris Hiche mentioned after the game: “I really enjoyed that double play. It was beautiful all the way and I love throwing people out like that. I enjoyed it more than the HR in the first game.” Manager Lee Manning summarised the day: “Two great games and is fantastic to sweep the Nationals. Our team played excellent in every aspect of the game and this gives us confidence that we can achieve our goal this year.”

With the next games on Saturday 4th of May at Finsbury Park against the London Mets, I really encourage all adults and youth players of the Herts family and those from other organisations to come watch two great teams battle each other and see these exciting Falcons try to make it 7-1 for the season.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Eagles battle hard but go down in Milton Keynes

Eagles 16 MK Coyotes 34, BBF Single-A League

written by Duncan Hoyle

Herts Eagles were on the wrong end of a 34 – 16 scoreline at MK Coyotes on opening day, but can still take many positives from the game.

The Eagles have a completely new look about them in 2013, with several players now having moved up the Herts organisation. Only 2 players remained in the starting lineup from last seasons opening day, and it was last season’s joint Single-A Home Run Champion Adrian Smithers who got the Eagles off to a good start with a line drive to left field in the first at bat of the game. He would get in to score, along with returning catcher Geoffrey Thomas to start the ball rolling in the top of the first.

On the mound was manager Duncan Hoyle, making his first BBF league pitching appearance. Despite getting a number of first pitches in the strike zone, he wasn’t able to capitalize on this and after the end of the first MK had opened up at 6 – 2 lead, the Eagles being punished for a number of errors. But they responded superbly in the second to tie the game at 6 all, helped by 2 RBIs from Mike Cresswell and newcomer Jamie Lang, and some superb catching in left field from Will Belbin.

Manny Banson and Jamie Lang are just two of the many players who made their league debut on Sunday

At the mid point of the 3rd Herts had opened up a 9 – 6 lead but once again, made errors in the 3rd that got punished, and with Hoyle’s arm now beginning to tire MK score 9 times to lead 15 – 9.

Simon Roberts came in to pitch in the 4th, along with DH Adrian Smithers who moved to catcher. Roberts couldn’t find the strike zone with any regular accuracy, pitching all around the edges but not inside. MK went on to score heavily in the 4th and 5th and the Eagles batting had now ran out of steam with only 1 run being scored in the 5th and 6th.

Jamie Lang came on to pitch the 6th for the Eagles and he will be delighted to have secured his first strike out and to only concede 3 runs in his first attempt at pitching. Herts rallied well in the 7th to try to avoid a defeat on the “mercy-rule” but despite loading the bases could only score once.

The Eagles had a completely new look about them, with the vast majority of the squad beginning their first full season in baseball. Notable performances included a superb performance at 1st base from Dan Bartram, who in only his second week of playing the game looks to be a great signing, good performances in the infield from Mike Cresswell, Jamie Lang and Tom Kosak at 3rd, the latter two who were both making their first league starts. Adrian Smithers had a great game with 4 hits, 3 runs scored and looked good at catcher.

The ever dependable Will Belbin had a solid game at left field and 1st, with some solid hitting, 15 year old Adam Landau Smithers did all that could have been asked of him at centerfield with a good catch and 3 runs scored. Club favourite Manny Banson made his debut and scored to get his account opened with the club, and also debuts were given to Dans brother Andy Bartram, and James Holt in the closing stages to leave the Eagles with many positives to take from the day, and a great platform to build upon in 2013.

A special mention should be given to Joseph Osborne-Brade, who suffered a horrendous injury in the Hunlock Series, and instead of feeling sorry for himself has remained positive while he regains his fitness and has taken up the role of base coach, scorer and assistant to manager Duncan Hoyle and his presence has no doubt helped the Eagles make some excellent early season progress with their. Base-running game.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Spirited late Ravens rally not enough

Conner Brown impressed on his Ravens league debut (photo by Will Baxter)

The Ravens may have lost two games in heartbreaking fashion against the visiting Leones de Feltham, but they will be going into their next league games with plenty of optimism.

As their name would suggest, the Leones are a team made up of Latin American players with many years of baseball experience so this doubleheader was always going to be a difficult test for the Ravens. With some of the Ravens’ big guns away, it was good to see the club’s upcoming young talent step up and they didn’t disappoint.

GAME1: Leones de Feltham 8 Herts Ravens 4

Liam Green was the starting pitcher in the first game going 4 1/3 innings with 4 strikeouts and 4 earned runs. It was very positive to see improvement in Green’s control with the number of walks reduced significantly and most of them came at the end of his outing when his arm started to tire.

Moment of controversy - it makes a big difference when a professional photographer is covering the action. The photo appears to prove that umpire Dave Smith made the right decision to call Mike Cattermole safe as his foot seems to have made contact with the edge of home plate just as the ball entered the catcher's glove on a force-play at home plate (photo by Will Baxter)

This was a game where both teams showed some good pitching and defence and the score stayed at 2-2 right up to the fifth inning, but then the visitors opened up a 7-2 lead with a big 5-run fifth inning. Gilberto Medina came in to relieve Green on the mound and he kept Herts in the game allowing only 1 hit and no earned runs in 2 2/3 innings. The team couldn’t take advantage of this and was not able to mount a major come back leaving quite a large number of runners on base (11). Matt Johnston who made his comeback from a hamstring injury, had an outstanding day with the bat (3-4).

Click to view game 1 box scores

GAME2: Leones de Feltham 15 Herts Ravens 13

With Mike Cattermole on the mound for Herts in game two, they got off to a quick start and built up a 7-2 lead after just 2 innings. The heart of the Ravens batting order of Liam Green (2-5 3RBI), Gilberto Medina (3-5 2RBI) and Carlos Casal (2-2) was causing the Leones some real problems. However, the visitors started put up numbers in the next few innings to tie the game at 9-9 in the fifth. They also managed to silence the bats of the Ravens by bringing in their game one starting pitcher. He had pitched 7 innings in game 1 and pitched another 2 in the second game. When he came out for his third inning of game two (10th inning of the day) he threw one pitch at which point Herts Manager, Carlos Casal, referred umpire Dave Smith and the visiting Manager, Andres Maslowski, BBF’s rule 7 (pitching restrictions) which indicates that “If a pitcher pitches in both games of a doubleheader, he/she shall not accumulate more than 9 full innings over 2 games, however distributed (Doubleheader). A pitcher shall be considered to have violated these rules if he throws one pitch in an inning above the prescribed limits.” Under these regulations “The minimum penalty for violating these rules is automatic ejection from the game for the pitcher and his manager”, however the Ravens waived that penalty which allowed both the visiting manager and the pitcher to stay in the game.

By that time the team from Feltham had built a 15-10 lead and the Ravens had one last chance to get back in the game in the bottom of the last inning. 6 Herts players reached base to make the score 15-13 and loaded the bases but the Leones held on and secured the win.

Click to view game 2 box scores

Carlos Casal paid a compliment to his team. “We couldn’t have asked our players for more. A very positive performance giving us lots of optimism for the rest of the season. Several young players made their AAA-League debuts today and it will be exciting to see them develop and grow in the coming years.”

Next up for the Ravens is a visit to Finsbury Park next Sunday, 28 April, where they will meet the London Metros who are 1-3 so far this season but this is after playing against two of the AAA Leagu favourites, Bristol and Oxford, so tis will be a real test for Casal’s team.