Category: Headlines

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Raptors Rally: Late inning onslaught puts Arnie’s boys back in contention

by Glen Downer

Shortstop Gilberto Medina hit a bomb over the left centerfield wall of the old diamond at Grovehill Ballpark

After another week of rain threatening to cause yet another postponement on Sunday, the Great British weather showed some mercy and after the sterling efforts of the players from both the Raptors and Hawks teams armed with sponges and buckets both diamonds were ready to have their basepaths pounded.

This was to be possibly the most important game in the Raptors’ season so far; clinging on to a one game over .500 record this was a must win, and it wasn’t going to be easy over the experienced veterans that make up the Old Timers team from Enfield. The Raptors were at full strength, and the ever consistent ZackLongboy was on the hill to start, hoping to continue his great season so far. The first inning started as well as any team could hope for, a quick 1-2-3 and the boys were back in the dugout, ready to pick up the bats and produce some run support for their pitcher. After a quick first out Ken Pike stepped up to the plate and picked up his first of no less than 6 hits in the game smashing a rocket into left, then stepped up Gilberto Medina, never being one to hang around Gil swung at the first pitch and the crack of the bat was the sound of impending doom for the Old Timers starter as the ball sailed majestically into left centre field and over the fence for Medina’s first home run of the season, which some may agree was overdue! The rest of the inning went by pretty quietly and the Raptors entered the second inning all fired up and ready to go.

Unfortunately the second didn’t go as well, with the Old Timers putting up 5 runs to take the lead which they held on to for the majority of the game. A combination of errors from the Raptors and Zack not being quite as controlled as previous outings allowing the visitors to take advantage. Herts still managed to tag on a run of their own in the bottom of the inning however to keep things alive, and so it went for the next few innings with both teams scoring like for like. With the Raptors picking up hits and getting on base, singles from John Kjorstadt, Jose Morillo Jr, a scorching double into right centre from catcher Ben Marques, and with Jake Caress taking the mound in a solid relief all helped to keep that scoreline close.

So came the bottom of the 8th; with their chances running low and the deficit at 5 runs, the most it had been all game, the Herts boys had to get something going. They didn’t disappoint with Ken Pike picking up his 6th and final hit to complete a fantastic 6-6 day, Gilberto Medina hitting another bomb which agonisingly ricocheted off the outfield wall for a huge double plating two runs, the Raptors rallied to score no less than 7 runs to take a slim 2 run lead heading into the top of the 9th. Jake Caress who had come into the game in relief had a tough job on his hands to close out the game and pick up a much needed win, he didn’t disappoint. The first batter smashed a drive into left field where ZackLongboy was just unable to snag it, however with some quick footwork and an absolute rocket straight into the glove of Gilberto Medina he applied the tag as the batter tried to stretch out a double and the first out was made. Pumped up from this great play, Jake went on to strike out the second batter and the Old Timers were down to their last out. With the count at 2-2 the batter hit a chopper straight to Caress who duly tossed the ball over to the waiting glove of first baseman Glen Downer and the final out was made to seal a great win.

The Raptors now go into the final two games of the season needing to pick up two wins to have a chance at post-season play. The pressure is on, let’s hope this momentum can be carried right up to the end!

by Herts Baseball News Editor

AA All-Star candidates announced

Louis Hare has 7 RBIs so far this year. Hawks need several more to catch up with Hare if they are going to compete against the big guns in the AA League.

The BBF AA League has announced the All-Star candidates from each of the AA southern league teams.

The candidates from the Herts Hawks are Louis Hare, Nic Goetz and Nick Russell.  They all feature heavily in the main statistics categories for the Hawks so far this season.

Louis Hare leads in the batting average (.444) and slugging average (.556)  categories.  He also has the highest number of RBIs with 7.

Goetz and Russell have each lodged a couple of wins as the main starting pitchers for the Hawks. Nic Goetz has the lowest ERA of 1.80 although Greg Bochan may have something to say about this when he accumulates the required minimum number of innings pitched, as soon as the rain stops. Bochan currently has an ERA of 1.50 which is even more impressive knowing that it was recorded in a game against the best team in Pool B, the Sidewinders.

Nic Goetz currently has the best opposition batting average among the Hawks pitchers with an impressive .161. In the base-running category, Paul Auchterlounie is in the lead with 8 stolen bases.

Read the full list of All-Star candidates of all AA League teams in an article written by Michael Jones, who has provided the best media coverage in the history of the AA League. The article will also give Hawks coaches and players valuable scouting information ahead of the remaining deciding games and the postseason playoffs, which the Hawks hope to be playing in next month (click to view article).

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Venue of Hawks vs Mustangs game switched. Eagles to face Bucks on the same day

The venue of the Herts Hawks vs Southampton Mustangs II game on 29 July has been switched and the game will be played at Grovehill Ballpark.

On July 29 the Herts Hawks were scheduled to make their longest trip of the year to play on the south coast against the Southampton Mustangs in a key AA-League game. Due to a clash at Southampton’s field, the game has been switched to Herts and will be played at the Hawks’ home Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead.

On the same day the Herts Eagles have arranged an exhibition game versus Milton Keynes Bucks. This game will also take place at Grovehill Ballpark.

Both games are scheduled to will start at 12pm.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts Eagles prepare for the London Tournament while Falcons, Hawks and Raptors focus on league race

John Kjorstad at last year's London Tournament Home Run Derby

Every year in the middle of July Herts Baseball Club sends its teams out to the International London Tournament for 2 days of non-stop baseball. The tournament is hosted by the Croydon Pirates who do a fantastic job every year.

This year the league schedule has been hit hard by the never-ending rain. The Herts adult teams have a backlog of games which they must fit into whatever free dates remain between now and the postseason in August. This weekend is one of those opportunities to catch up. The Herts Falcons will travel to Finsbury Park for a doubleheader against the London Mets after this match-up was rained out twice already. The Hawks will play a doubleheader versus the Essex Redbacks. This will be a home game at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead. The Raptors have a must-win game against the Old Timers, also at home.

With so many Herts teams involved in league action this weekend there was a risk of Herts not being represented at the London Tournament, however Herts Eagles Manager, Duncan Hoyle, with the support from a group of Herts single-A players managed to put together a team for both Saturday’s and Sunday’s tournament games in Croydon.

We will keep you updated about their adventures in south London throughout the weekend, as well as the outcome of Sunday’s league games involving the other 3 Herts adult teams.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts Baseball represented at the MLB All Star Game in Kansas City

We are approximately at the halfway point of the MLB season as the teams take a few days off and enjoy MLB’s All Star Week. This also offers British baseball teams an opportunity to sit back and relax after several hectic weeks of not playing baseball and dealing with the depressing effects of rained out ballgames.

This year the All Star event is hosted by the Kansas City Royals and Herts Baseball Club is represented at the event. Jonathan Wakelam who plays for the Herts Dodgers and his dad Mike Wakelam who coaches the Herts Dodgers flew out a few days ago. They will have the opportunity to sample all the festivities of the All Star week.

It all started on Sunday with the All Star Futures game, which saw the first ever British-born player make an appearance for Team World wearing the British flag on his chest. On Monday it was time for the big hitters to compete in the 2012 Home Run Derby, which was won by Prince Fielder. The events also include the All-Star Celebrity Softball Game.

Tonight is the main event as the National League All Stars clash with the best players of the American League, as voted by fans from around the world. Every MLB team will be represented.

As you watch the game tonight keep an eye on the stands and look for a Herts baseball cap. We may just see Jonathan Wakelam muscle his way among the fans to make a spectacular catch in the stands.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Hawks’ game at Grovehill Ballpark rained out. Raptors and Eagles away games also cancelled

Despite several ground inspections and anxious monitoring of rain radars and weather forecasts, the AA League crunch game between Guildford Mavericks and Herts Hawks at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead has been postponed due to waterlogged diamonds.

The Raptors and Eagles also received bad news this morning.  The Raptors trip to Guildford Mavericks II was has been postponed. It will now be played on 22 July 2012.

The Herts Eagles visit to Pavilion Field in Brighton for their game against Hove Tuesday was also wiped out by the weather.  The game has been rescheduled for 5 August 2012.

Many other games across the country have been affected after the heavy rainstorm travelled from the south coast northwards and flooded everything in its path.

We are expecting news of the NBL game at Northbrooks Playing Fields in Harlow between the Herts Falcons and the Harlow Nationals and this page will be updated if the game is called off.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Big weekend for Herts teams in race for the national championships

Herts Falcons hope that Phil Clark will be back in time for duel with Harlow (photo by British Baseball Magazine)

Friday night’s red weather warning issued by the weather office seemed to fizzle-out on Saturday and although events like the Formula 1 British Grand Prix qualifying was affected badly, further South, the women’s tennis final at Wimbledon went ahead.

With the fear of a rainout out of the way attention turns to 4 pivotal games for the 4 Herts senior league teams.

FALCONS (12-4) @ NATIONALS (15-4)

After 3 weeks without league action, the Herts Falcons go into battle with the reigning champions. The Harlow Nationals’ last loss came on 10 June when they last met the Falcons. They went on to a 4-game winning streak which took them back into first place. Teams are reluctant to look beyond their next game, but both the Nats and the Falcons can be forgiven for having one eye on the postseason NBCs. There may not be much difference between finishing first or second in the regular season, other than the sense of achievement, however both teams know that losing both games of Sunday’s doubleheader could drag them into the unpredictability of the one-game playoff which awaits the teams which finish fourth and fifth in the regular season. The Lakenheath Diamondbacks’ stunning sweep of the London Mets last weekend was a wake-up call for the four teams ahead of them. That game saw the emergence of Taylor Portman who provided power with the bat but more importantly looked like he can shut down even the most potent of batting lineups. The Taylor Portman-factor will now be on the back of Nats and Falcons minds. This adds an extra edge on a matchup which was already highly-charged after the fireworks on 10 June which almost resulted into a bench-clearing brawl.

MAVERICKS (14-0) @ HAWKS (6-4)

The best team in the BBF AA-League travel to Grovehill Ballpark. The Guildford Mavericks seem unbeatable as they have won all 14 games of the season so far. They have already booked their place in the AA postseason playoffs. The Herts Hawks are also in a comfortable position in terms of postseason qualification, however the stunning form of the Guildford Mavericks and the Poole Piranhas on the other hand is giving the top four teams in Pool B, sleepless nights. The teams which finish third and fourth in Pool B face the daunting prospect of meeting either Guildford or Poole so there is a sense of panic among the top 4 teams in Pool B to finish first or second and avoid the AA favourites.

Herts Baseball's young prospects will need to step up to keep the Raptors alive in the race for the postseason

A win for the Hawks this Sunday could lift them into second place. A loss could put them way down into fourth which could mean that they would have to face the Guildford Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs. The game starts at 12pm at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead. If the Hawks can get the job done quickly enough they may be able to catch the Olympic Torch Relay which passes through Hemel Hempstead this Sunday afternoon from 4:30pm.

RAPTORS (4-3) @ GUILDFORD MAVERICKS II (4-3)

While the Hawks try to end Guildford’s unbeaten run, the Raptors will be looking to keep their playoff hopes alive when they travel to Guildford’s second team. Both teams have 4 wins and 3 losses each and both need a win to stay in the race. Raptors Manager, Arnie Longboy, will be missing a large number of his starting 9 so he will need the Under-17 players who have been called up to hit the ground running when they make their AA league debut this Sunday.

HERTS EAGLES (5-3) @ HOVE TUESDAY (5-0)

The Eagles are still in the race for the playoffs but they will need to give their best performance of the season if they are going to overcome the unbeaten Hove Tuesday. The newest team in the A-League has blown away their opponents winning all of their games with the mercy rule enforced after 7 innings. Can the Eagles shock British Baseball with a win on the South Coast.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Saturday’s youth league games at Herts cancelled due to red weather warning

A few minutes ago the weather office issued a “red weather warning” for Southern England.  With heavy showers in the morning and continuous rain forecast for Hertfordshire and the surrounding regions, Herts Baseball Club has had to cancel Saturday’s (7 July) youth league games.  This includes the Under-17 and Under-14 league games between Herts and the visiting Forest Glade Redbacks.

The Under-11 series between the Herts Giants and the Herts Dodgers have also been affected by this announcement.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Raptors battle with League leading Archers

The closer - Anna Blach pitching in the 9th inning against the Essex Archers

written by Anna Balch

The Raptors (3-3) gave league leading Essex Archers (7-1) an unexpected battle in one of the only games this season that the Archers have played past 7 innings,. With Zachary Longboy (8 IP, 5 SO) starting on the mound for the Raptors the Archers came out to a quick 3-0 lead in the top of the third. The Raptors came back in the bottom of the inning with four runs to take the lead. They were able to hold off the Archers with a strong pitching performance by Longboy in the second and added five more insurance runs to extend the lead to 9-3. Archers outfielder Ash Richardson commented “that’s the first time we’ve ever been down.”

But the Archers soon began their come back adding four runs in the third and the fourth. Zack got out of the two inning eight run attack when he forced a pop out to short and recorded a strike out for the third out. After four innings the score was now 13-11. In the top of the fifth inning the Raptors played tight defense but two singles and a two out error gave the Archers a run to bring the score within one. In the bottom of the inning, with the intent of extending the lead the Raptors couldn’t get runners on going down one, two, three.

It was only in the top of the sixth inning that the Archers scored two to take the lead 14-13. In the bottom of the inning a two out walk put the tying run on base but a ground out to the pitcher ended the inning. Two more runs for the Archers extended their lead in the top of the seventh. In the bottom of the inning Rob Jones (1H, 1RBI, 4R, 1SB, 2BB) reached on a error. Then a one out double, that many thought was out of the park, from Gil Medina (3H, 1 2B, 2RBI, 2R, 1SB) scored Jones. More errors from the Archers scored another Raptor to bring them within one.

Two more runs from the Archers extended their lead but the Raptors posed a threat in the bottom of the inning. Newcomer, Anna Balch who replaced the Raptors DH, singled with one out in the bottom of the eighth. She then stole second base and advanced to third on a passed ball before Brodie Caress (3H, 3R, 1BB, 4SB) walked to put runners at the corners. Caress then advanced to second on a ground out to third. With runners on second and third the Raptors then ended the inning, and the threat, with a long fly ball to center.

Ben Marques takes a pitch from Essex Archers starter Darren Ludlow

Balch replaced Longboy on the mound for the Raptors. The Archers added two more runs in the inning to make the lead 20-15. Eventually Balch recorded her first career strikeout to end the inning. The Raptors were shut down in the bottom of the inning and were unable to score ending the game with a final score of 20-15. Other top players for the Raptors were Glen Downer (2H, 4RBI, 2R, 1SB) and Ben Marques (2H, 1R, 2SB).

While it was a victory for the Archers, the Raptors were satisfied in taking the Archers to the ninth inning. The high scoring nine inning game was something new for the Archers as they rarely play a full nine innings. “It was really a tight match up until the end as both teams put up a great fight,” said Raptors manager Arnie Longboy. “I would love to face them again in the playoffs, but of course we’ll have to win the rest of games for that to happen. I think we can.”

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Squeaky bum time

As the baseball season entered the month of July, the battle for the postseason playoffs is simmering nicely. In the AA League the top two teams in Pool B South met at the ballpark in Enfield for a colossal double header. The Sidewinders were sitting on top of the standings, just one game ahead of the second-placed Herts Hawks.

The Hawks opened the game with a single and a double by Louis Hare and Jon Lewys, respectively. Andy Cornish was walked to load the bases with 2 outs but the Sidewinders pitcher managed to get out of that bases-loaded jam without any damage.

Nick Russell was the starting pitcher for the Hawks and he responded by retiring the Sidewinders on 3 fly outs. Both pitchers kept putting zeros up on the scoreboard through the first 4 innings. Russell was very effective allowing only 2 hits over that period. This was turning into a classic pitching duel and both teams were showing why they are top of the AA standings.

Herts drew first blood in the fifth inning. Paul Auchterlounie hit a single up the middle and stole second. He was followed by Jon Lewys who drove him in to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead.

The Sidewinders responded swiftly putting together their first real offensive rally of the day with 3 doubles and 2 singles to take a 3-1 lead. Herts sprung into action. A sacfly by Ralph Bartholomew brought home Andy Cornish and Kal Dimitrov somehow managed to beat out a ground ball to bring his brother Aspi Dimitrov home to tie the game and go into the final inning with a score of 3-3.

In that final inning Louis Hare got on base on an error. The next two Herts batters managed to move Hare to third base, but there were now two outs with big-hitting Andy Cornish coming up next. The Sidewinders called a mound conference and their first baseman, Bruce Dullea, provided some valuable inside information having played for and managed the Herts Falcons in 2005, 2006 and 2007. He alerted his team mates that Cornish is a dangerous batter and they decided to pitch around him to walk him and face Aspi Dimitrov instead who was playing in his first game after being on the DL for the last 10 months with shoulder and hamstring injuries. Dimitrov hit a 2-out single to left-centerfield driving two runs in to make the score 5-3.

Could the Sidewinders come back from this in the bottom of the last inning? Two singles and two stolen bases brought one run in. It was now 5-4 with the tying run at third and 1 out. Nick Russell was still on the mound and he needed to use every ounce of energy he had left to keep the runner on third from scoring. The only way to guarantee this was to make sure that batters did not make contact with the ball and that’s exactly what he did. He took the next 2 batters to full count and struck out both of them leaving the tying run on third base and securing a priceless win for Herts.

Nick Russell will get the praise, and rightly so, but it is also worth noting that he had tremendous support from the whole team who played errorless defence.

Click to view game 2 box scores and play-by-play

In game two the Sidewinders put their ace pitcher, Tadaaki, on the mound looking for revenge. He had a no-hitter earlier in the year and he showed why. Consistent control and change of speed make him a very awkward pitcher to face. The Hawks were having real problems making solid contact. Tadaaki was pitching a perfect game (no hits, no walks) in the first 5 innings of the second game. On top of that the Hawks had a very sloppy start of the game. They committed 3 errors and allowed 5 runs to score in the top of the first inning. 4 of the 5 runs were unearned (i.e. resulting from the fielding errors). The Hawks defence recovered after that and managed to give starting pitcher, Greg Bochan, the support he needed. The team was working efficiently again and Bochan was pitching a gem. They allowed only 1 run in the next 6 innings, but the big challenge was to find a way to score runs against pitcher Tadaaki.

Into the top of the 6th and a light appeared at the end of the tunnel. Seth Lipstock, who had a great game at third base, ended Tadaaki’s perfect game with a lead-off single. Kal Dimitrov followed with a single of his own. With 2 outs, Lipstock came around to score as Andy Cornish and Louis Hare got on base on fielding errors. Both Cornish and Hare scored after an infield hit by Aspi Dimitrov and an error throw. That reduced the deficit to 6-3.

Into the final inning Tadaaki was still going strong. Despite a single from Greg Bochan, Tadaaki completed the game in style with a groundout and two strikeouts.

Click to view game 2 box scores and play-by-play

After the games Hawks co-manager, Andy Cornish, said: “Today, was a great game of baseball and very enjoyable to be in such a contest. We played against very good opposition, and shown that we can play with the top teams in this league, even with a depleted side. We have some more tough opposition to come, but with the way that we played today I am encouraged about our chances in pushing forward to the playoffs. Today, we played great baseball for 13 out of the 14 innings, and next time we will do so in every inning, there is no doubt in my mind.”

Today’s games emphasised just how hotly contested the title race is in the AA league. With the Daws Hill Spitfires and the London Mammoths picking up wins today it looks like the playoff race will go down to the wire. In the words of Manchester United Manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, it is “squeaky bum time”. The Hawks remain one game behind the Sidewinders, but they are now third after the Mammoths jumped above them. The focus is now on the next Hawks game on Sunday, 8 July, against the Pool A leaders Guildford Mavericks who are still unbeaten with a 14-0 record so far this season. The game will be played at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead. First pitch 12:00pm.