Category: Headlines

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts survive late Feltwell rally to pick up 2 wins

Marty Cullen Jr pitched a 1-hitter to pick up another win

Herts U17 All Stars picked up two important wins versus the Feltwell Redbacks which count towards the postseason playoff seeding of the National Baseball Championships.

On Friday afternoon all youth league games scheduled at Herts for Saturday were cancelled due to waterlogged fields. By midnight Herts and Feltwell managed to salvage their U17 League games by switching them to RAF Feltwell.

The Feltwell Redbacks are affiliated with the Redbacks organisation but are a team consisting of players from the US airbase at RAF Feltwell. This is their first year in the league, but despite this they proved to be a difficult opponent especially in the second game which could have been won by either team.

In game one Marty Cullen Jr started on the mound for Herts. He gave another impressive performance pitching a complete game allowing only 1 hit and 2 runs and only 1 of these 2 runs was earned. Richard Ganster went 4-4 with a double and 2 RBIs. Jake Caress, Kyle Lloyd-Jones and Marty Cullen Jr each had 2 hits in the game. Marty Cullen Jr’s two hits were a double and a triple. Liam Green continues to torment opponents with his bat. He went 3-4 which included a single, double and an inside the park home run. He just missed out on completing the cycle, with a just a double missing.

Click to view Game 1 box scores and play-by-play

Game 2 was a very different contest. Chris Kiefer who is one of the most promising young players in the league took the mound for the Redbacks and he made it very difficult for Herts to repeat their dominant offensive results from the first game of the day. At the same time Herts pitchers walked 12 batters and hit another 5. This made their task even more difficult. Their Manager, Cristbal Hiche had to use 4 different pitchers to try to steady the ship. Herts had a slight advantage with 8 hits against Feltwell’s 5 but the game was ultimately won by the team which committed the fewest errors. Feltwell committed 7 errors in the field, while Herts had their best fielding performance of the season without any errors in game 2.

In the bottom of the last inning the RedBacks put the visitors from Hertfordshire under tremendous pressure. They loaded the bases with the runner on first base representing the winning run. It seemed like Feltwell were about to complete a memorable turnaround, when the backstop came to Herts’ rescue. A Redbacks runner decided to come home from third on a passed ball. The ball rolled to the backstop and bounced hard off the wooden panelling giving Herts catcher, Marty Cullen Jr, enough time to throw to pitcher Jake Caress who was covering home plate, to apply the game-ending tag.

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

Herts return home with two vital wins in the race for the National Championship, but the Redbacks deserve a lot of credit for making this a very exciting and tense second game.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Saturday’s youth league games at Herts cancelled due to waterlogged diamonds

A ground inspection today has confirmed that both diamonds at Grovehill Ballpark are flooded.  The weather forecats indicates a sunny day, however the grounds crew has confirmed that, based on previous experience, the water will not dry out in time for Saturday’s games. This means that the all 5 games scheduled for tomorrow have now been cancelled.
Possibility of switching the U17 game between the Feltwell Redbacks and the Herts All Stars was discussed but unfortunately the diamond at RAF Feltwell is also flooded.
The news puts Sunday’s NBL games in doubt. Another ground inspection is scheduled on Saturday afternoon.
The next youth league games are scheduled for Saturday, 16 June, as follows:

TIME
VENUE
LEAGUE
VISITING TEAM
HOME TEAM
11:00
Grovehill Ballpark
BBF (U14)
London Sports
Herts All Stars (U14)
13:30
Grovehill Ballpark
BBF (U14)
London Sports
Herts All Stars (U14)
11:00
RAF Feltwell
BBF (U17)
Herts All Stars (U17)
Feltwell RedBacks
13:30
RAF Feltwell
BBF (U17)
Herts All Stars (U17)
Feltwell RedBacks
11:00
Grovehill Ballpark
U11
Herts Dodgers
Herts Giants
Both the U17 and U14 league games will count towards the postseaosn playoff seeding.
by Herts Baseball News Editor

Biggest game of the season so far

This Sunday, 10 June, Grovehill Ballpark will stage the biggest game of the season so far. The reigning NBL champions, Harlow Nationals, will clash with the Herts Falcons who have been grabbing the headlines this year more than any other team in the country.

The Falcons were on top of the standings a week ago but a loss at home against the Essex Arrows allowed both the Harlow Nationals and the Southampton Mustangs to overtake them. Herts now stand just half a game back.

Sunday’s clash between the Nationals and the Falcons has been eagerly anticipated. It is the first opportunity to see whether the revamped Herts Falcons can overcome the champions. Both teams are well equipped offensively and defensively. The Nats have last year’s league MVP, Edwin Alcantara, and slugger, Maikel Azcuy, both with 1 home run in their name this season. The Falcons have their own firepower with Dave Tretheway, Kevin Niedringhaus, Phil Clark and Ryan Bird already opening their home run accounts for the year and there are several more members of the team who are itching to get off the mark.

Grovehill Ballpark is one of the most hitter-friendly ballparks in the league and fans will be expecting to see a home run or two this Sunday. However, both teams have strong pitchers who may have other ideas. The Nationals have relied largely on Jamie Ratcliff, Brendan Cunliffe and Roberto Almanzar on the mound and so far they have allowed the lowest number of runs per game in the league (4.30 runs per game). The Falcons have used no fewer than 6 pitchers already and they have the luxury of another 5 pitchers who they can call on, including Darrin Ward who completed his transfer from the Essex Arrows last week.

Who will be the starting pitchers for Herts in these series? Falcons Manager, Lee Manning, has kept the rest of the league on their toes with a different starting rotation every week of the season so far and it will be interesting to see what he will have up his sleeve against the Harlow Nationals.

Defensively Herts have performed much worse compared to Harlow allowing 6.73 runs per game, but it is their batting which has made them one of the frontrunners this year. So far they have obliterated their opponents scoring 10.17 runs per game, which is the highest average in the NBL.

With this match-up so finely-balanced and with so much at stake in the title race, this Sunday’s clash is a mouth-watering prospect for fans of British baseball who can make it to Grovehill Ballpark. The game starts at 12:00pm. Admission is free.

 

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Games at Herts postponed due to rain

All 5 games scheduled at Grovehill Ballpark today, 3 June, have been postponed due to rain. Games affected include the NBL matchup between Herts Falcons and Bracknell Blazers, the two exhibition games involving the Great Britain Under-19 National Team, as well as the AA-League doubleheader between the Herts Hawsk and the Essex RedBacks.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Ward is back

Herts Baseball Club announced that pitcher, Darrin Ward, has just completed a transfer back to the Herts Falcons. Ward has been wearing the Herts uniform since 2008, but before the start of the 2012 season he made a surprising move to NBL rivals, the Essex Arrows.

His return is a major boost for Herts who find themselves half a game back on the reigning champion Harlow Nationals.

During his 4 years with Herts, Darrin Ward was voted Herts MVP 3 times (2008, 2009 and 2010 with the Herts Eagles), Best Pitcher twice (2009 and 2011), 3-time Batting Champion (2009, 2010, 2011). Ward is a former Great Britain National Team player. His NBL career stretches all the way back to 1992 when he played for the London Warriors. He spent 8 seasons with them (1992-1999) winning the NBL in 1992, 1993 and 1997. His return to Herts means that he is now reunited with his old London Warriors teammate Michael Osborn for the first time since the 1990s. Osborn moved to Herts at the start of the season and he was looking forward to playing with Ward again. He was disappointed when he learned of Darrin Ward’s move to Essex earlier this year, but today’s announcement means that they will be playing side-by-side again.

Darrin Ward’s career batting average in the NBL is an impressive .378, slugging average .602, with 16 home runs and 130 RBIs. As a pitcher his record is 14-17. He has made only 11 errors in 211 NBL innings prior to 2012. (stats courtesy of Project COBB)

Herts Falcons Manager, Lee Manning, was grateful to Essex for their co-operation. “I would like to thank the Essex Arrows in the manner they have handled this transfer” said Manning. The transfer was completed in time for Ward to be eligible for selection for this Sunday’s NBL game at Grovehill Ballpark against the Bracknell Blazers (11:00am) and exhibition game with the GB U19 National Team (4:00pm).

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Spoils shared in Herts-Essex derby

The clash between rivals Herts Falcons and Essex Arrows illustrated just how competitive the NBL is this season and that every team is capable of winning the title. Herts’ superior 8-2 record before today didn’t seem to concern the Essex Arrows whose 6-6 record does not do them justice on today’s showing.

Jordan Farkas missed the games against Croydon a week ago, but he was back as the starting pitcher for Herts in the first game of the doubleheader. He allowed only 2 earned runs striking out 5 over 6 innings. 2-run home runs by both Kevin Niedringhaus and Dave Tretheway spurred the Falcons on putting 5 runs in the second and fifth innings. A single by Ryan Bird in the sixth inning brought another 2 runs in to give the home team some more breathing space. Robbie Unsell relieved Farkas in the final inning to secure a 12-7 win. Unsell is also coming alive offensively. He went 3-4 with two doubles, an RBI, 3 runs and 3 stolen bases.

Click to view game1 box scores and play-by-play

In game 2 Essex jumped to an early 4-0 lead after 2 errors and 3 hits in the top of the first inning. Three innings later the Arrows had an even bigger lead of 10-2. A solo home run by Ryan Bird in the bottom of the fourth was the wakeup call which the Falcons needed. They followed that up with 2 runs in each of the fifth, sixth and seventh inning. That burst by the Falcons included 2 singles by Dave House and two doubles by Cristobal Hiche. When Ryan Bird stepped up for his fourth at bat of the game he was looking for a triple to complete the cycle. He did produce another hit but it was a single. This late surge by Herts closed the gap but the league-leaders ran out of time. Essex won it 13-9. This loss means that the reigning champions, Harlow Nationals, overtake Herts at the top of the standings after they swept Bracknell.

Click to view game2 box scores and play-by-play

5 GAMES AT GROVEHILL NEXT SUNDAY, JUNE 3

With the Nationals resting next weekend, the Falcons will have a chance to go joint-top if they can win their next game against Bracknell which will be played at Grovehill Ballpark and will be part of an exciting day of baseball in Hertfordshire. Both Bracknell and Herts will each play an additional exhibition game against the Great Britain U19 National Team later that day, while on the other diamond the Herts Hawks will clash against the Essex RedBacks in a AA League matchup between the second and third-placed teams. Here is the full order of play:

11:00, Herts Falcons @ Bracknell Blazers (NBL)

12:00, Essex RedBacks II @ Herts Hawks (AA League)

13:30, GB U19 National Team @ Bracknell Blazers (exhibition game)

14:30, Essex RedBacks II @ Herts Hawks (AA League)

16:00, Herts Falcons @ GB U19 National Team (exhibition game)

Venue: Grovehill Ballpark, Herts (click for address and directions). Admission is free.

 

by Rob Jones

Raptors outdone by Marauders

Jake Caress was one of the most productive batters for the Raptors

The way the game ended spoke volumes about the sort of luck the Herts Raptors had all day.

In the seventh inning, Herts had scored 6 of the 7 runs they needed to keep the game alive. There was one man out, and the bases were loaded, when Gilberto Medina hit a laser shot down the third base line.

But rather than driving in the crucial runs, the ball was spectacularly snared by a leaping third baseman. Ken Pike, the runner moving off from second, was helplessly stranded and was tagged out to complete the double play and end the game.  Marauders had won by the mercy rule on a score of 20-9.

The incident also demonstrated the importance of London’s defence throughout the game. They had made the play on every bobbling ground ball, they had caught every fly ball, and they had made the most of their scoring opportunities early in the game.

Starting on the mound, Ken Pike had struggled to make his strike zone match up with the umpire’s.  As a result, the home side had taken seven walks by the end of the day. And when the Marauders did get bat on ball, the Herts fielders were unable to make the plays — in all, there were 15 errors, including 5 wild pitches. The visitors were also on the wrong end of some close calls, and the home side quickly took a 10-run lead.

Frustration soon set in for the Raptors on a baking hot day, and it was not made any better by the bats being consistently stifled by Thomas Flack’s pitching. A tall pitcher, benefitting from a high strike zone — the result was an unusual amount of balls popping up into the blue north London sky.

Pike did manage a couple of hits, and Glen Downer got on board, but it was the fourth inning before the visiting Raptors managed to get a man across the plate.  Jake Caress — who was the most consistent performer with the bat — drove in his father, Mark.  Three runs scored in all, but there was a mountain to climb, as the Marauders already had 20 runs on the board.

Zack Longboy came in to relieve in the fourth inning and he was able to quiet the London offense. He racked up five strikeouts over three innings, and put zeroes on the board.  Longboy Sr — team manager Arnie — helped out with a diving catch at second base to rob the Marauders of a surefire hit. Now Herts’ powerful bats had to do their job.

Jose Morillo came in for Arnie Longboy and immediately sparked the offense in the top of the seventh, with the Raptors needing 7 runs to avoid the mercy rule. He hit a single, stole a base, then scampered to third on a passed ball. Glen Downer’s double brought him home. Ben Marques added an RBI single.

Gilberto Medina's bullet with the bases loaded almost extended the game beyond the seventh inning

The Marauders’ relief pitcher, Saadaab Janab was struggling with his control, and Herts were patiently waiting him out, ticking round the runs. Two came in on bases-loaded walks. The stage was set for a dramatic finale.

And the drama came. Although not the way Herts had hoped. Instead, it came with that last flash of leather from the home team, and the tag which killed the rally. Suddenly, when it seemed unlikely, the game had got close.

The manager was reassured by the way his side had made a fight of it. Arnie Longboy said “This game was huge for us, so it was disappointing that we did not get the bats going. But it was really good to rally at the end, and everyone contributed.”

The Raptors now have another — slightly unwelcome — week off, but the derby game against the Herts Eagles in June could be the perfect moment to level their season record at 2-2.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Hawks lose to Latin Tigers in a close game

Ralph Bartholomew - in the zone

The onset of the sunny weather provided an excellent backdrop for the clash between the Latin Tigers and the Herts Hawks.

The weather was perfect, the fielding was not. In an error-strewn game (8 errors for each team), the Hawks and Tigers took to Roundshaw Playing Field’s second diamond, which was as predictable as the English weather.

With Nic Goetz on the mound, the Hawks had all that was required for success on the day, and he did not disappoint – 7 strikeouts and 1 Earned Run over 8 innings. However, the Tiger’s pitching was also on form – the two pitchers combined for a total of 10 strikeouts, which was in line with the major weakness of the Hawks on the day – the hitting. After taking a 2-0 lead, the Hawks fell behind 4-2 in the second, and trailed throughout the game. The Tigers did not overwhelm, but were able to add a run to their lead in each of the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th inning. Herts kept close, and came back with 3 runs in the top of the 8th to make the score 8-7 for the Tigers. Still, the Tiger pitching and fielding kept the top of the 9th to a 1-2-3 inning which gave them the win. The usually prolific Elkins, Naghar and Bartholomew were kept hitless, while no Hawks batter recorded more than 1 hit.

Click to view box scores and play-by-play

Although the Hawks did not have their full squad available, they were able to rely on the services of Joseph Osborne-Brade, and were in no way depleted. Stand-in manager Kal Dimitrov commented after the game “If we had hit better and played better defence, we would have won”. After collecting his cliché award for the week, he also added “Barring the disappointment from the loss, the errors and the lack of hits, the guys enjoyed it, more or less.” Hawks are looking forward to their upcoming game on June 3, in particular because the co-managers Cornish and Bochan would be back at the helm. They will welcome the Essex RedBacks II to Grovehill Ballpark in Herts for a doubleheader which was rained out earlier in the year. First pitch 12:00pm.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts and Cobham entertain fans with dramatic games ending with a walk-off home run

Cobham fought back against flame-throwing Liam Green to win game 2. Green had 6 hits with 2 doubles over the course of the two games one of wwhich was inches from being a home run

The Herts Under-17 team is showing signs that it can compete against the top teams in the U17 British Leagues. On Saturday they visited the Cobham Cougars who were the national runners-up last year.

Cobham went into the game as the favourites to win both games of the doubleheader despite missing several of their starting nine. They took an early 1-0 lead but Herts responded with hits form Liam Green and Tom Everex-Armstrong bringing in 3 runs. Herts maintained their lead but the Cougars were always dangerously close reducing the lead to 4-3. In the fourth inning the youngsters form Herts switched up a gear to take the game beyond Cobham. Once again Liam Green and Everex-Armstrong delivered crucial hits to bring 3 runs in. Everex-Armstrong went 3-4 in the game. Starting pitcher Zack Longboy was pitching a gem and despite a late rally by Cobham, he took the win. Marty Cullen Jr closed the game for the visitors to pick up the save.

Click to view Game1 box scores and play-by-play

That win for Herts went contrary to the form book and it was even more surprising when Herts took a 7-1 lead in the second game of the day. Herts maintained the lead all the way to the middle of the fifth inning when they had a 9-3 advantage. Liam Green stood out offensively batting 3-4 with two doubles. One of the two doubles came just a few inches short of being a 2-run home run. Marty Cullen Jr had an impressive performance on the mound allowing only 3 runs over 3 and two-third innings against a very awkward opponent.

Jose Morillo relieved him and although he did his job, Cobham managed to score 4 unearned runs thanks to 3 errors which proved to be very costly at the end. Liam Green then took the mound looking to shut the door in the final inning with a 9-7 lead. He is probably one of the hardest throwing players in the U17 League but Cobham showed why they reached the National Final last season. They managed to deliver crucial hits and took advantage of some passed balls to advance runners and tie the game 9-9. With 1 out and the infield and outfield playing in to stop the winning run scoring from third base, the Cougars delivered a final blow with a hit to left-centerfield which the batter took advantage of and stretched into an inside the park home run to end the game.

Click to view Game2 box scores and play-by-play

This was a spectacular comeback by Cobham which was heartbreaking for Herts but it didn’t overshadow the fact that they had performed exceptionally well to take an away win from the Cougars. There is a break in the U17 league action over the Jubilee weekend.  The league games resume on 9 June when the Herts All Stars will face the Feltwell RedBacks at Grovehill Ballpark in Herts.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Dodgers and Giants resume Herts rivalry. Dodgers come out on top.

Herts Giants 4 Herts Dodgers 10
written by hertsbaseball.com correspondent, Chris Jones

The rains of the last few weeks seemed a distant memory, as the Herts U11s met up on a baking hot Saturday at Grovehill. Given the amount of playing time lost in recent weeks, the coaches felt that it would be worth spending some time on the training ground. The squad went through a variety of drills, working on both offensive and defensive skills.

Once the players had taken a much-needed water break, it was time for the Dodgers to face the Giants in a continuation of this long-running Herts classic.

After a hitless first inning from the Dodgers, the Giants took an early lead. A succession of Giants batters collected base hits, and Jamie Clarke claimed the RBI single.

The tables were turned in the second inning. The Dodgers showed more of their offensive calibre, batting around and picking up three runs. Defensively, the Dodgers then forced out runners at third in two successive plays to shut out the Giants.

The Dodgers piled on the runs in the third – the pick of the batters was Nicholas Durer, who hit a monster ground rule double to the centre field fence. Ozan Martin joined in the fun with a double to left field. The Giants were unlucky to that their batters picked out Dodgers fielders, as Nicholas Durer and Katie Everex-Armstrong claimed outs at first and third.

Six runs down at the bottom of the fourth, the Giants needed to find some hits. Leading off, Lewis Auchterlounie pulled out a double down the third base line, and scored when Oliver Durer made a base hit. Rose Burgess-Van Dort and Talia Martin reached first on a fielder’s choice, while Noah Lynch scored the Giants’ third run. Jamie Clark was called out for leaving the base path between second and third – at one point it looked like he was heading for the car park.

By now, the sun was beating down, and at least one supporter had retired to seek a shadier spot. But the players refused to wilt. In the final inning, a powerful line drive from Katie Everex-Armstrong produced another ground-rule double. Ozan Martin and Katie scored after Alex Jones, Nicholas Durer and Rory Vangundy got on base, and Alex Jones reached home to claim his third run.

In reply, Lewis Auchterlounie hit his second double of the day, into his favourite spot over third base. Noah Lynch picked up a single, and Jamie Clark hit into right field to bring home Lewis for the RBI. But it was too little, too late for the Giants as a final strikeout brought the game to a close with the Dodgers 10-4 winners.

In truth, there was little between the two sides, and on another day with a little more luck for the Giants the scoreline could be reversed. This was a fun game, and it was good to see everyone making a contribution, from the youngest members of the squad to the more experienced players.

GAMECAST – IN CASE YOU MISSED THE GAME OR WANT TO SEE IT AGAIN

To relive the full game with full statistical analysis fans can view a new facility which Herts Baseball Club is testing at the moment. CLICK TO OPEN THE GAMECAST AND PRESS REPLAY IN TOP RIGHT CORNER
Herts Giants Batting Stats
Name PA AB R H 1B 2B 3B HR RBI OBP SLG AVG
Christian Lynch 4 4 1 3 3 0 0 0 0 0.750 0.750 0.750
Alex Trautman 4 4 0 3 3 0 0 0 0 0.750 0.750 0.750
Lewis Auchterlounie 4 4 2 3 1 2 0 0 0 0.750 1.250 0.750
Noah 4 4 1 2 2 0 0 0 0 0.500 0.500 0.500
Oliver Durer 4 4 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0.250 0.250 0.250
Jamie Clark 4 4 0 3 3 0 0 0 2 0.750 0.750 0.750
Rose Burgess-Van Dort 4 4 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0.250 0.250 0.250
Talia Martin 4 4 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0.250 0.250 0.250
TOTALS 32 32 4 17 15 2 0 0 4 0.531 0.594 0.531
Herts Dodgers Batting Stats
Name PA AB R H 1B 2B 3B HR RBI OBP SLG AVG
Jonathan Wakelam 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 0.000 0.000
Ozan Martin 4 4 2 3 2 1 0 0 1 0.750 1.000 0.750
Katie Everex-Armstrong 4 4 1 2 1 1 0 0 2 0.500 0.750 0.500
William Morillo 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 0.000 0.000
Alex Jones 4 4 3 4 4 0 0 0 1 1.000 1.000 1.000
Nicholas Durer 4 4 2 2 1 1 0 0 0 0.500 0.750 0.500
Rory Vangundy 4 4 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 0.250 0.250 0.250
William Ahern 4 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 0.000 0.000
TOTALS 33 33 10 12 9 3 0 0 8 0.364 0.455 0.364