The article was written by Oliver Mintz-Lowe and first appeared on britishbaseball.org

The Harlow Nationals sealed back-to-back NBL titles in only their second year in existence as they secured consecutive National Baseball Championship wins with a 6-3 victory over the Herts Falcons.

Two years in existence, two NBL National Baseball Championship titles – that’s the impressive resume of 2012 champions Harlow Nationals.

After winning it all last season in stunning fashion, the Nationals arguably achieved an even more impressive feat over the weekend by backing up their 2011 success with another championship, beating a strong Herts Falcons team in the final.

Harlow were always favourites after finishing in first place during the regular season, and played progressively better each time they took to the field. Their final win, in an entertaining high standard game, was an excellent advert for British baseball.

The eventual difference maker proved to be a pair of home runs from Jarrod Pretorius (2-3) and Maikel Azcuy (2-3) – two powerful hitters at the heart of Harlow’s line-up. Pitcher Robbie Almanzar, making his second start of the weekend, pitched a solid complete game to seal the win.

Number two seeds Herts Falcons undoubtedly played their part in the final, and certainly looked capable of winning to force a decider. British baseball stalwart Ryan Bird pitched better than his numbers suggested, and continued his excellent form with that bat, while explosive leadoff man Robbie Unsell was once again impressive at the top of the order.

Under the double elimination format the Nationals, coming into the contest with a 2-0 record, would only need to win one of two games. As the Falcons had one defeat to their name they would need to pick up two straight wins.

And while both teams got off to a confident start, it was Harlow that moved a step closer to the title thanks to Jarrod Pretorius’ first inning home run- his second of the weekend.

Herts did score first, however, when, not for the first time this weekend, Robbie Unsell and Ryan Bird (1-2, 2 RBI) combined to put a run on the board. After Unsell got aboard with a line drive single, the leadoff man stole second and advanced to third on a fly ball. Bird got the job done, knocking in the run on a groundout to put the Falcons in front.

But the lead was quickly reversed thanks to Pretorius’ three run shot. Leading off the inning, Robbie Almanzar hustled down the line to beat the throw and reach base on an error. George Lintern then laid down a perfect bunt to reach first, before Pretorious jumped on a 1-0 pitch to put the favourites into pole position.

And Pretorius backed up his fine batting with some excellent fielding in the very next inning, making an excellent diving stop at second base to assist with a double play, erasing Kevin Niedringhaus (2-3) after a leadoff single.

In the next couple of innings, the pitching remained tight, with both teams exchanging a run each. Herts pulled one back when Chris Hiche reached safely with a two out single, and ended up scoring on an error when right fielder George Lintern misplayed a fly ball. Brendan Cunliffe restored Herts two-run cushion when he drove in Azcuy in the very next inning.

The contest was tense, and there was nothing between the two top teams in the country. The Falcons once again made it a one run game when Chris Hiche and Ryan Bird hit back-to-back two-out doubles.

Bird was also turning in a strong performance on the mound to go with his two RBIs. But after striking out Edwin Alcantara for his eighth K of the contest, he ran into trouble in unfortunate circumstances. After Pretorious picked up a two-out scratch hit to barely keep the inning alive, Maikel Azcuy crushed the first pitch of his at bat over the left field wall and out of the yard for a two-run homerun.

This resulted in Jordan Farkas entering the game in relief, and he managed to throw 1.1 scoreless innings to keep Herts in with a sniff going into the 7th.

And the final inning certainly proved to be a tense one for Herts. Pinch-hitter Andy Cornish got aboard with a leadoff single followed by a five-pitch walk to Robbie Unsell, putting runners on first and second, with nobody out and the tying run at the plate. But Nationals pitcher Roberto Almanzar held his nerve, keeping his pitches down in the zone to induce a Chris Hiche ground ball. Azcuy tagged the lead runner, and calmly fired to Cunliffe who duly completed the crucial double play.

With two outs, Ryan Bird drew a walk to once again bring the tying run to the plate, and prolong the Nationals agony. But when right fielder Dan Parker nestled under a high fly ball from Darrin Ward, last year’s champions knew the National Baseball League trophy was staying in Harlow for another 12 months, and the celebrations could begin.

Click to view box scores and play-by-play

Harlow manager Marty Cullen said: “It’s a great reward for all the effort and hard work the guys have put in over the season.

“Today I thought we played much better defence, which has been our strength all year. We got a lead, and played really solid baseball to stay in front. That’s how we like to play and we managed to execute when it mattered.”

“It got a little tense at the end when they had two guys on with Ryan Bird on deck, but Robbie pitched great, stayed calm and we got the big double play.”

The Falcons and Nationals will meet in the Final on Monday in game 6 of the National Baseball Championships. The Falcons need to win to force a deciding game 7. If they lose either game 6 or 7, the Nationals will be crowned NBL champions for a second year in a row.

The AAA and A League Champions will also be decided on Monday at Grovehill Ballpark.

Here is Monday’s complete schedule.

2012 NBC SCHEDULE FOR MONDAY, AUG 27 @ Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead

NBL Schedule

Monday, August 27

11:00 Game 6: Harlow Nationals vs Herts Falcons

14:30 Game 7: same as above (will be played if Harlow Nationals loses Game6)

AAA Schedule

Monday, August 27

14:00, (Final) Essex Redbacks @Liverpool Trojans

A Schedule

Monday, August 27

11:00, (Final) Hove Tuesday vs Leicester Blue Sox

If you can’t come to the ballpark you can follow the games using the links below:

NBL: https://www.gamechanger.io/g/NBLNBC2012

AAA; https://www.gamechanger.io/g/AAANBC2012

AA: https://www.gamechanger.io/g/AANBC2012

A: https://www.gamechanger.io/g/ANBC2012

This article written by Michael Jones and Oliver Mintz-Lowe was first published on britishbaseball.org

The Herts Falcons bounced back from their earlier defeat at the hands of Harlow to reach the final the hard way.

In a well-contested elimination clash with the London Mets, the number two seeds hit well to open up a healthy lead early on. London managed to grind out runs at regular intervals, and managed to make a game of it with a late rally.

But the Falcons hung on to set up an intriguing clash with the Nationals on Monday.

Herts, looking to bounce back from their tough morning loss, managed to shake off any potential hangover in a perfect manner – with early runs. After Jordan Farkas went through the top of the Mets lineup 1-2-3, their offense set to work establishing a quick lead.

Ryan Bird drove in Robbie Unsall, who had singled and stolen second, to open the scoring, and crossed the plate himself on a sharp Darrin Ward single. And following a well executed double steal by Ward and Dave Trethaway, Farkas picked up a smart contact hit to drive in a pair and give Herts a handy 4-0 lead.

They added another in the second, courtesy of a sacrifice fly from Ryan Bird, who had a 3 RBI night, capitalising on two more Unsall steals. The speedy leadoff man was a key offensive catalyst throughout, patiently drawing four walks, scoring three times and swiping four bags.

Looking to respond quickly, London managed to reduce the deficit. Trevor Allen advanced to third on a throwing error, after reaching safely with a single, allowing Josh Rappaport to drive in a run with a double. Alterto Cabalerro followed with another RBI to make it a three-run game.

But the number two seeded Falcons quickly managed to re-establish their commanding lead, through a mixture of intelligent small ball, opportune hitting and Mets miscues. Phil Clark and Ryan Bird both scored on wild pitches, while Chris Hiche drove in Robbie Unsall, and scored later in the inning from a Dave Trethaway sacrifice fly.

To their credit, the Mets continued to battle hard, and hit back with a couple of runs, courtesy of back-to-back RBI doubles from Martin Tucker and Jonathan Cramman.

And in the sixth, the number four seeds really managed to make a game of it, reducing the Falcons lead to just two runs. Trevor Allen (3-4 with an RBI and two runs) kicked off the scoring, driving home Grant Delzoppo with an RBI triple, before Rapapport batted in Cabalerro with a single. Rappapart himelf scored on a groundout, and Jonathan Cramman made it a 10-8 game with another RBI single. Unsall, taking the mound in relief, managed to strand a pair, picking up the final two outs of the inning.

Herts managed to tack on an insurance run in the bottom half of the frame when Farkas drove in Mike Cattermole for his second RBI of the game. And Robbie Unsall came out to pitch a solid 9th inning, working around a two-out-single, striking out two to pick up the save.

Click to view box scores and play-by-play

Falcons player Chris Hiche said: “I think it was just a case of who wanted it more. Both teams were quite tired so it came down to a survival of the fittest.”

As Herts qualified via the elimination game, they will now have to win two straight games against the Harlow Nationals. Harlow, who qualified with a better 2-0 record will only have to win once to claim the title.

Hiche said: “We don’t really have the pitching depth to go five games, but I think we just need to try and win the first one and go from there.”

The Final  between the Harlow Nationals will start at 11am on Monday, 27 August at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead. Can the Herts Falcons make history against all odds and be crowned the best team in Great Britain for the first time in the club’s history. If you can’t come to the ballpark you can follow the games using the links below:

NBL: https://www.gamechanger.io/g/NBLNBC2012
AAA; https://www.gamechanger.io/g/AAANBC2012
AA: https://www.gamechanger.io/g/AANBC2012
A: https://www.gamechanger.io/g/ANBC2012

This article written by Michael Jones and Oliver Mintz-Lowe was first published on britishbaseball.org

With both sides having won the previous day, they each had the pleasure of a 10am start at Grovehill, with the winners guaranteed of a place in tomorrow’s final and the losers having a few hours to recover before a final elimination game later in the afternoon. And it was the defending champions who would get the best rest heading into the National Baseball League NBC final following a strong batting display.

The Harlow Nationals sent 2011 NBL NBC MVP Jamie Ratcliff to the mound as the youngster sought to bolster his ever expanding credentials against Herts Falcons stalwart and British baseball legend Darrin Ward.

Both sides came out swinging, as would be expected from the top two seeds during the regular season. In the last match-up the two teams split their series and things remained evenly placed throughout the early stages of this crucial encounter.

Ryan Bird hit a long double in the first to score Robbie Unsell but a slip at third base stranded the Herts’ catcher and the Nationals headed to the batter’s box just a solitary run behind their hosts. George Lintern drove Robbie Almanzar home, but was himself picked off by a great move from Ward. However, free-swinging Edwin Alcantara stroked a double from off his nose and crossed the plate when Jarrod Pretorius found a gap along the third baseline, providing the Nationals with the early advantage.

But the lead changed hands once again as Ward capped a five-run rally with a two-run double to right field after some excellent hustle on the base paths forcing some mistakes on the infield. The game threatened to become another run-fest in the NBL competition and four runs from the Nationals, led by doubles from catcher Will Lintern and shortstop Luis Goncalves, tied it up at six apiece but a great grab at third base by Kevin Niedringhaus and quick arm to second turned two to end the offensive onslaught.

Ratcliff managed to post the first zero of the game as things quietened down in the third. Although he issued the first two walks of the game, it amounted to nothing and his batters set to work on restoring the lead. With the bases full, Goncalves blooped into centre field in what would be Ward’s last action on the mound as Unsell got the Falcons home just one behind.

Two fantastic plays by the young shortstop kept his former club off the board and helped maintain their slender advantage, and the Nationals padded the lead by scoring a couple of Falcons fielding mistakes. But that was reduced as the Nationals followed Goncalves’s neat double-play with a couple of errant throws and the Falcons were back within touching distance having clawed their way back. However, the Herts bats couldn’t escape the GB Under-23’s glove on the infield and he ended the frame having turned all three outs en route to an MVP performance.

Unsell may have felt the momentum was with his side, but with two outs, big-hearted third baseman Maikel Azcuy had three Herts’ fielders sprawling on a double to the fence that knocked in two and restored the big lead. Brendan Cunliffe came in to relieve Ratcliff and quickly got ahead in the game to pick up the crucial save. Two pop-ups either side of a Niedringhaus double that would come round to score meant, heading into the bottom of the sixth, the Nationals remained a couple ahead.

The Herts pitcher, having loaded the bases on a couple of walks and hitting George Lintern on the back, was relieved by Bird, with Unsell picking up the pieces behind the plate, but the second pitch passed by his new catcher and allowed Will Lintern to come home, before Bird hit both Alcantara and Pretorius on consecutive pitches to force in another. Four runs behind now, the dangerous Azcuy at the plate, Unsell missed another for Aaron Webster to cross and the game was getting away from the hosts in a big way. Azcuy couldn’t put anyone else over and a line-out to right fielder Phil Clark got the Falcons out of a messy frame to try to come back with their bats.

Cunliffe again made use of his fielders with two quick outs, and the long save was wrapped up with Azcuy firing across the diamond to Pretorius at first base, Ward the unlucky batter.

In making six errors over the morning game, the Nationals only conceded one earned run (the score in the first frame), but they marginally out-hit the Falcons and looked much the stronger side in the box.

Click to view box scores and play-by-play

Nationals manager Marty Cullen said “It feels good again like yesterday, but if you look on the board there’s six errors and that’s not why we’re the number one seed. I think we’ve given up fewer runs than anybody this season and we’ve played really good defence – the past two days we haven’t. Fortunately the bats have come alive at the right time of year, which is where we’ve struggled in the past. In the really low-scoring games we’ve pitched really well and played defence extremely well, and today it seemed that we did everything pretty well but our defence.

“Brendan’s one of the best pitchers in the league – he doesn’t throw 90mph like he did in college, but he’s smart with what he has and when you get to the bottom of the final inning with a little bit of a lead, well for me he’s the one you want to see up there. Jamie threw really well and at times he had to get four or five outs in an inning because of the errors, but he was dealing. His breaking ball was breaking late and it had some juice on it.

“Luis Goncalves is one of the best raw talents in the league. He has been since he was 14 years old, and he gets baseball. He doesn’t get fazed at all on the big stage and if he can get to a ball then you know he’s going to get to it,” he concluded, before suggesting that yesterday’s starter, Robbie Almanzar, would be a favoured option on the mound for tomorrow’s final. Although to keep opponents guessing, he added: “You may even see me up there!”