Category: Youth Leagues

by Matt Bell

HERTS QUALIFY, PILOTS SHOT DOWN OVER CROYDON

The diamond was drenched in déjà vu.  Only one year ago the Herts first-team were onthis same field… facing the same opposition.

 

In the 2007 National Championships, the Falcons metthe Humber Pilots in the AA Final. Relegated from the Premier League the season before, Herts weredetermined to cap their walk-over winning season with a trophy and trip backinto the AAA.  But sloppy first-inningdefense and ineffective pitching allowed Humbera 5-0 lead, and they never looked back. The Falcons suffered an 8-5 loss and hung their heads in defeat.  Although they secured re-promotion to theAAA, the lack of a national title was the sole blemish on an otherwise perfect(and perfectly effortless) season.

 

Here we go again. Humber – also promoted to the AAA in the Northern bracket – made thelong trek due south from Hullto face their pushover opponents from the previous year.  Heavy storm clouds loomed over the same,rain-soaked field… and the Pilots came expecting a repeat victory.

 

Mayday! Mayday!

 

These were not the same Falcons.  Herts charged into 2008 with a full head ofsteam.  New leadership brought a wholenew approach.  With a focus on improvedtraining methods and a unifying philosophy, these Falcons sported adetermination and team commitment unrivalled in years past.  The emergence of additional talent – newfoundand home grown – meant that Herts brought improved speed, pitching, defense andpower to an already successful lineup. The Pilots were in for a dogfight.

 

In a complete reversal of their last encounter, theFalcons won the coin toss, took the home side dugout and readied themselves fora tooth-and-nail showdown.  The Pilotsseemed to take an early advantage when 2007 Best Pitcher Nic Goetz got off to aherky-jerky start walking the first two batters and beaning the third.  But the threat was quickly silenced.  Catcher Jason Greenberg gunned down awould-be base-stealer for the first out of the game, and a line-drive doubleplay by third baseman Darrin Ward brought the inning to the end.  Herts wasted no time in embracing theirmomentum.  In the bottom of the 1st,speedy leadoff batter Jim Hyde walked, stole second and was brought home on adouble from slugger Andy Cornish.  Twomore hits, two walks, a hit batter and a suicide squeeze brought in anadditional four runs for the Falcons who, in a reversal of fortunes of their2007 championship game, had an early 5-0 lead… and a confidence that evenMother Nature couldn’t quash.

 

Goetz quickly found his focus and dominated the Humber offense.  Ina foreshortened five-inning game the Pilots were held to one run on only twohits.  Meanwhile, the Falcons batserupted for six runs in the 2nd, six more in the 3rd, andfour runs in the 4th.  Theblowout seemed to end before it had even begun as the Falcons brought theirwinged rivals down to earth in a 21-1 qualifying win.

 

The game was not without controversy.  The two-man ump crew of Petter Nordwall andDarrin Muller hand their hands full with the frustrated Humberside.  Shortly after shortstop C. Radgewas ejected for colourfully objecting to a close play at second base, oneinning later replacement shortstop S. Radgewas thrown out for intentionally tripping speedster Hyde on the base-path.  Indeed, this marked the first father-sonejections in recorded BBF championship history.

 

On the positive side, Herts busted out the bigbats.  Cornish connected for two doublesand a monster-run for 4 RBI.  MartyCullen and Darrin Ward also doubled, and Ward smacked a two-run blast of hisown.  Second-baseman Kimiyoshi Saionjiwent 4-for-4 with 4 RBI including a three-run dinger.  The Falcons flew around the base-pathsstealing 8-of-8 and hustling out two triples from Jim “T-Devil” Hyde and Dan“Hollywood” Kerry.

 

As the Falcons packed up their rain-soaked gear withthe knowledge that Oxfordhad bested their division rival London Metros, the inevitable question loomed…“Can we win it all…?”



BOX SCORE

Humber Pilots at Herts Falcons
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Humber Pilots 0 0 1 0 0 1 2 4
Herts Falcons 5 6 6 4 0 21 19 2

Herts Falcons 21, Humber Pilots 1
Herts Falcons Humber Pilots
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Jim Hyde lf 4 2 3 1 M Radge cf 2 0 0 0
Andy Cornish ss 4 3 3 4 S Radge 2b 2 0 1 0
Jason Greenberg c 4 3 1 0 C Radge ss 0 0 0 0
Kimiyoshi Saionji 2b 4 4 4 4 A Maltby c 1 0 0 1
Darrin Ward 3b 2 3 2 3 B Webb p 2 0 0 0
(t4) Peter Kikel 3b 1 0 0 0 M Gilbert 3b 2 0 0 0
Dan Kerry cf 2 3 2 1 S Mayhew lf 2 0 0 0
(t4) Tim Elkins cf 0 1 0 0 K McThitas 1b 2 0 1 0
Marty Cullen 1b 3 2 2 2 P Senn rf 2 1 0 0
Greg Bochan rf 2 0 1 1
(b3) Rodney Naghar rf 2 0 1 1
Lee Manning dh 3 0 0 0
Nick Goetz p 0 0 0 0
Aspi Dimitrov p 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 31 21 19 17 TEAM TOTALS 15 1 2 1

E: Andy Cornish, Darrin Ward, M Gilbert(2), C Radge, M Radge. LOB: Humber Pilots 4,
Herts Falcons 6. 2B: Andy Cornish(2), Darrin Ward, Marty Cullen. 3B: Jim Hyde, Dan
Kerry. HR: Kimiyoshi Saionji, Andy Cornish, Darrin Ward. SB: Andy Cornish(2), Jim
Hyde(2), Jason Greenberg(2), Kimiyoshi Saionji, Dan Kerry. CS: M Radge, S Mayhew. SB:
Marty Cullen.

Herts Falcons IP H R ER BB SO
Nick Goetz W 4.00 2 1 1 4 1
Aspi Dimitrov 1.00 0 0 0 0 1
Humber Pilots            
B Webb L 4.00 19 21 16 5 3

HBP: by Nick Goetz (C Radge), by B Webb (Dan Kerry). . . , by B Webb (Lee Manning). .
Balk: B Webb. T: 2:00. A: 151.
Humber Pilots – Top of the 1st:
M Radge walked, caught trying to steal 2nd.
S Radge walked, batted forward to 2nd, tagged out going to 3rd.
C Radge hit by pitch.
A Maltby lined out.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Herts Falcons – Bottom of the 1st:
Jim Hyde singled, stole 2nd, batted forward to home.
Andy Cornish doubled, stole 3rd, batted forward to home, 1 RBI.
Jason Greenberg grounded out.
Kimiyoshi Saionji singled, stole 2nd, batted forward to home, 1 RBI.
Darrin Ward walked, batted forward to 3rd, advanced to home on error.
Dan Kerry hit by pitch, batted forward to 2nd, advanced to 3rd on error, batted
forward to home.
Marty Cullen sacrifice bunted, 1 RBI.
Greg Bochan singled, 1 RBI.
Lee Manning grounded out.
5 runs, 4 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB.
Humber Pilots – Top of the 2nd:
B Webb grounded out.
M Gilbert struck out looking.
S Mayhew reached on error, caught trying to steal 2nd.
0 runs, 0 hits, 1 error, 0 LOB.
Herts Falcons – Bottom of the 2nd:
Jim Hyde walked, stole 2nd, batted forward to home.
Andy Cornish hit 2-run home run, 2 RBI.
Jason Greenberg reached on error, stole 2nd, batted forward to home.
Kimiyoshi Saionji singled, batted forward to home, 1 RBI.
Darrin Ward doubled, batted forward to home, 1 RBI.
Dan Kerry singled, stole 2nd, advanced to 3rd on balk, batted forward to home, 1 RBI.
Marty Cullen singled, batted forward to 3rd, 1 RBI.
Greg Bochan flied out.
Lee Manning flied out.
Jim Hyde singled, advanced to 2nd on error, picked off.
6 runs, 6 hits, 2 errors, 1 LOB.
Humber Pilots – Top of the 3rd:
K McThitas singled, forced out at 2nd.
P Senn reached on fielder's choice, batted forward to home.
M Radge popped out.
S Radge singled, batted forward to 3rd.
C Radge walked, batted forward to 2nd.
A Maltby walked, 1 RBI.
B Webb grounded out.
1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 3 LOB.
Herts Falcons – Bottom of the 3rd:
Andy Cornish doubled, batted forward to 3rd, stole home.
Jason Greenberg singled, stole 2nd, batted forward to home.
Kimiyoshi Saionji singled, batted forward to home.
Darrin Ward hit 2-run home run, 2 RBI.
Dan Kerry tripled, advanced to home on error.
Marty Cullen reached on error, batted forward to home.
Rodney Naghar struck out swinging.
Lee Manning popped out.
Jim Hyde tripled, 1 RBI.
Andy Cornish grounded out.
6 runs, 6 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB.
Humber Pilots – Top of the 4th:
M Gilbert reached on error, forced out at 2nd.
S Mayhew lined out.
K McThitas grounded out.
0 runs, 0 hits, 1 error, 0 LOB.
Herts Falcons – Bottom of the 4th:
Jason Greenberg walked, batted forward to home.
Kimiyoshi Saionji hit 2-run home run, 2 RBI.
Peter Kikel struck out looking.
Tim Elkins walked, batted forward to home.
Marty Cullen doubled, batted forward to home.
Rodney Naghar singled, batted forward to 3rd, 1 RBI.
Lee Manning hit by pitch, batted forward to 2nd.
Jim Hyde struck out looking.
Andy Cornish walked, 1 RBI.
Jason Greenberg grounded out.
4 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 3 LOB.
Humber Pilots – Top of the 5th:
P Senn grounded out.
M Radge grounded out.
S Radge struck out swinging.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

by Matt Bell

(VIDEO) BASEBALL IS TALK OF THE TOWN

 

 

This Saturday the town centre in Hemel Hempstead had an added baseball flavour.  Members of the adult and Little League teams of Herts Baseball Club alongside Little League parents invaded the Riverside Shopping Centre.  This was billed as a fundraising event for the club’s Grovehill Ballpark Project, but it was about a lot more than just raising funds.  This was an opportunity for the club to spread news of the great work it does for the local community and the fantastic opportunities it offers for youngsters and adults to play baseball by joining one of the best and coolest sports clubs in the UK.

 

 

It was impressive to see so many members of the public who were already aware of Herts Baseball Club and the game of baseball.  Those who did not know that baseball is being played right on their doorstep, took the club’s recruitment flyer and the club is very happy to report that within hours of the event, the club’s website started to receive enquiries about joining the Herts Baseball Little League and the Herts adult teams.  Herts Little League Vice President, Marty Cullen, said: “This was a very successful event and we intend to do more promotional events in the future.  We certainly hope that we will have the opportunity to say hello again to the many people who we met today, but this time in our home at Grovehill Ballpark.”

 

Many shoppers had the opportunity to take part in the Baseball Quiz to test their baseball knowledge and they certainly did well despite some hesitation earlier in the day. 

 

Amazingly, one of the Quiz contestants turned out to be a relative of New York Mets third baseman, David Wright.  It is beyond belief that one of the superstars of baseball who can be regularly seen on the front covers of the world’s major sports magazines, has a relative right here in Hemel Hempstead.  But then again, Hemel Hempstead is becoming something of a central point for baseball in the UK, so it makes sense that UK-based relatives of baseball stars would be living in Hemel Hempstead.

 

The undoubted stars of the day were the Little League boys and girls who were buzzing around from start to finish with their collection buckets.  In total they single-handedly raised £177.96 from the very generous residents of Hemel and other parts of Hertfordshire – an amazing achievement by the Little Leaguers.

 

Many members of the public also left their good luck video messages to the Herts Falcons ahead of their games in the AAA British National Championships Final 4 on 6-7 September. 

 

Herts Baseball Club wants to thank the Riverside Shopping Centre in Hemel for allowing this fundraising event to take place on their premises.

 

 

Can you believe it?  New York Mets third baseman, David Wright,

has relatives right here in Hemel Hempstead.

by Matt Bell

HERTS LITTLE LEAGUE CHAMPIONS TO BE DECIDED ON FINAL DAY OF THE SEASON

The Herts Red Sox got exactly what they needed to stay alive in the race for the Herts Little League title.  They won both their games while at the same time the joint leaders, the Cubs and the Yankees, dropped one and two games, respectively.  This means that going into the final day of the 2008 season, all three teams are still very much in with a chance of becoming the 2008 champions.

 

To start the day, the table-topping Herts Cubs were stunned by bottom of the table Blue Jays.  A combination of solid hitting from a rejuvenated Blue Jays batting lineup and masterful pitching by Alex Ringrose secured the win for the Jays.  They have really come alive over the last few weeks and despite being out of the running, they are causing an absolute mayhem with the ambitious plans of the teams above them in the standings.

 

This meant that the Herts Yankees had the chance to jump above the Cubs, but they were caught up in a classic pitching duel against the Red Sox.  Mikito Ariga for the Sox and Marty Cullen Jr had locked horns on the mound matching each other’s zeros, inning-after-inning.  The game went into extra innings.  The pressure was on and the Red Sox held their nerve to clinch it 1-0.

 

In the second games of the day, the Red Sox picked up another priceless victory, this time against the Blue Jays.  In a spirited come-back in the bottom of the last inning, the Jays scored three runs after some clutch-hitting from brothers Nicolas and Declan Carlean and Jays slugger Storm Frisby.  But it wasn’t enough as Alec Walker picked up a groundball at third for the final out of the game.

 

On field one at the same time, there was a face-off between the joint leaders, the Yankees and the Cubs.  The Cubs came through to win it 5-2.  Leftie Lewis Paterson launched his 2nd and 3rd home run of the season in the process with two blasts over the right-field wall and picked up the Player of the Week trophy.

 

This sets up a fascinating finale to the 2008 season.  There is a real possibility that two or more teams may be tied at the top of the standings.  In the event that two teams are tied, the season will be decided in a sudden-death Championship game between the joint leaders.  At the moment it looks like this game will be scheduled for Saturday, 13 September, and it will be played alongside a Bronze Medal sudden-death decider between the third and fourth placed teams.

 

Things get really complicated if there is a three-way tie between the Yankees, Cubs and Red Sox.  In such scenario, run differential of the three teams will be decisive.  The team with the best run differential qualifies automatically for the sudden-death Championship game.  The other two teams will play against each other in a sudden death extra innings shoot-out immediately after the scheduled games on the final day.  The team with the second best run differential will have home-field advantage.

by Matt Bell

(VIDEO) BASEBALL WAS INVENTED BY…THE BRITISH?

A recent discovery in Sussex, England, indicates that the earliest records of the game of baseball originate from the British Isles.

MLB has made a movie about this discovery.  Click on the link below to visit the MLB site and use the menu on the left-hand side to see extra video footage.

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/mediacenter/baseball_discovered/

…but if history is not your thing, why not check out the plays of the week in HOW 'BOUT THAT?

by Matt Bell

HERTS BASEBALL CLUB ANNOUNCES POSTSEASON/FUNDRAISING SCHEDULE

With just a few weeks remaining of the regular season, Herts Baseball Club has announced the 2008 postseason schedule.  It will be packed with events for all branches of the Herts Baseball organisation, from the Little League to the club’s adult teams.  The postseason is also the time to get volunteers, friends and family members involved and playing the game.  Who knows?  The club may discover a new superstar among friends and family members.

 

In September the Herts Little League will be hosting its first tournament inviting all the top British League teams in the Bronco age group (10-13 year olds).  Most of these teams will include players who are members of the GB Juveniles Team so the Herts Little League will be able to check on its progress against top opposition.

 

The postseason period coincides with a critical period for the club’s project to develop Grovehill Ballpark.  The club requires one final fundraising push before commencing the construction work.  If the club reaches its fundraising target, members of the club as well as everyone else in the British baseball community can look forward to 2009 when the revamped Grovehill Ballpark and its second baseball diamond will be unveiled.  Members of the adult and Little League teams will be asked to play a key role in the upcoming fundraising events and absolutely everyone must do their best to take part in these events.

 

This September and October the club remembers fallen Falcon number 36 in the 2008 Kyle Hunlock Series.  Full details of an exciting new format for this event will be released in the next few days.  As part of the event, Herts Baseball Club will be making history with the first ever live radio broadcast online on the Herts Baseball Channel. 

 

Even after the last pitch of the season is thrown, club events keep coming thick and fast as we build up to 2009, so make a note of these dates.

 

 

2008 POSTSEASON AND FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN

SCHEDULE

 

Key:

Little League

Adults

Fundraising

 

Thursday, 21 August 2008

3:30pm-5:30pm

Fundraising Visit to Hemel Industrial Zone

 

Saturday, 23 August 2008

11am-2:30pm

Little League Final Day

 

3pm-5pm

Fundraising at local shopping centres

 

Saturday-Sunday, 6-7 September 2008

Morning-night

AAA Final 4 at Croydon

 

Thursday, 18 September 2008

8pm

LIVE – Kyle Hunlock Series Draft

(making history with first ever LIVE broadcast on the Herts Baseball Channel)

 

Sunday, 21 September 2008

11pm-7pm

Kyle Hunlock Series (DAY1)

 

Saturday, 27 September 2008

TBC

Herts Little League Tournament

 

Sunday, 28 September 2008

11pm-7pm

Kyle Hunlock Series (DAY2)

 

Thursday, 2 October 2008

8pm

LIVE – Kyle Hunlock Series re-Draft

 

Sunday, 5 October 2008

11pm-2pm

Kyle Hunlock Series (FINAL DAY)

 

2pm-3pm

Little League Home Run Derby

 

3pm-4pm

Little League 2008 Awards Ceremony

 

4pm-7pm

Family Softball Game (s)

·         Little League Parents and Adult members family/friends

 

Sunday, 12 October 2008

TBC

2009 Annual General Meeting

 

October-November 2008

TBC

The HBC Tennis League

(unlike baseball, you gotta keep the ball IN the park)

 

Adult Herts Baseball Players (and family members) will be competing head-to-head over several weeks in a league format.

 

Friday, 12 December 2008

TBC

2008 Awards Night (Adult Teams)

 

 

by Matt Bell

HERTS LITTLE LEAGUERS OUT OF BBF PLAYOFFS WITHOUT A SINGLE SWING OF THE BAT

The British Baseball Federation has issued a press release confirming that the planned Youth Wild Card Playoffs involving teams from the Herts, Horsham and Plymouth Little Leagues have been cancelled.  This comes as a big disappointment for everyone connected with the Herts Little League as everyone was looking forward to this opportunity to go head-to-head with the best teams from around the country. 

The Herts Little League Commissioners are considering options for the staging of alternative events and the Herts Baseball Newswire will keep you informed about any further news.

The following is the official press release from the British Baseball Federation.

Baseball Youth Final 4s Playoffs CANCELLED

The Baseball Youth Playoffs previously scheduled for September 6 & 7 have been CANCELLED. The decision was taken for a number of practical reasons. The Youth Final 4s will still take place on September 13 & 14 at Cartmel Valley in the Lake District.

The September 6 & 7 date was the only realistic one available but threw up clashes for the GB Juvenile Tour and for Pony age players who would then be unavailable to in the National Baseball Championships with their senior teams.

It was not possible to move the playoffs earlier in the season as scheduled games are planned. At this stage the BBF was unable to make the planning and logistical arrangements for a good quality event for young players, coaches and families.

The BBF apologises to those clubs and participants who had expected to take part in the qualifiers on route to the Final 4s. The Final 4s revert to its most recent format. In both Pony (Under 16) and Bronco (Under 13) brackets the first and second placed regular season teams, both north and south, will make the four teams. Eight teams in total will make the trip to Cartmel Valley, four in each bracket.

Looking ahead, the planned introduction of the new Little League structure for 2009 will be an exciting development within the youth baseball community. It will bring together all those who work for the promotion and enjoyment of the youth game and enable a broader base of post season activities for participants.

by Matt Bell

SATURDAY’S HERTS LITTLE LEAGUE SCHEDULE WIPED OUT BY EXPECTED RAIN

The Herts Little League Commissioners have frantically been looking from one weather report to another in the hope of some good news.  Unfortunately, the weather forecast is so bad that the Commissioners have reached the decision that it is best to postpone tomorrow’s Little League games. 

 

Tomorrow was to be  the penultimate Saturday of the league schedule and the League Commissioners are exploring options of extending the Little League season in order to allow all games to be played out, especially these exciting final games of the season.

 

One option is to use one of the available Saturdays in August (23 or 30 August).  The decision is complicated slightly by the fact that the BBF Wild Card Playoff game, which was originally scheduled on 6 September, may be switched to another date to avoid the clash with the British National Championship Final 4 for the adults which takes place on the same weekend.

 

The Herts Little League will confirm details as soon as a decision is reached.

by Matt Bell

YANKEES GAIN 2 GAMES ON CUBS, BOTH TIED IN FIRST PLACE

 

With only two weeks remaining, the Herts Little League season is heating up.  The Herts Cubs have been setting the pace from the very start and for the first time this season they have lost their lead in the league standings.  The Herts Yankees have managed to put together a 4-game winning streak in the most crucial time of the season.  They are now tied at the top with the Cubs.  Pitchers Michael Davis and Marty Cullen Jr combined over the course of the day allowing no runs and shutting down their opponents with two magnificent pitching performances.

 

Heavy downpours could not dampen the enthusiasm of the Herts Baseball Little League players and fans in week 6 of the league schedule.  To start the day first placed Herts Cubs met their nearest rivals the Yankees and they found it difficult to get their offensive game going against Marty Cullen Jr who pitched a complete game shutout for the Yankees to win 7-0.

 

But the real game of the day came later in the day.  The Blue Jays find themselves bottom of the table but in spite of this they have been playing terrific baseball and have been unfortunate to be on the losing end of four closely fought one-run games.  This turned out to be a real classic pitching duel.  Zack Longboy was pitching a gem putting up zero after zero on the scoreboard but his Yankee counterpart, Michael Davis, was matching his zeros inning-after-inning.  With the game going into extra innings, it was Yankees pitcher, Michael Davis, who delivered a crushing blow driving in the winning run for the Yankees.   Another heartbreaking one-run loss for the Blue Jays, but they deserve credit for the amazing courage and determination which they have shown week-in-week-out.

 

The attention turned to Field 2 where the Cubs and the Red Sox were also into extra innings.  The news of the Yankees win was filtering through and the pressure was on the Cubs players.   Finally, the Red Sox came through in the bottom of the 5th to win it 15-14 and that meant that the Cubs’ lead on top of the Little League is gone.  They now share first place with the Yankees.

 

The scene is set for a thrilling last two weeks of the Herts Little League season.  While the Cubs and the Yankees are wearing themselves out at the top, the Red Sox are making a late push for the title.  The League action continues next Saturday at 12pm with 4 more exciting matchups.

 

The Player of the Week award went to Herts Yankees’ hero of the day, Michael Davis.

 

League Scoreboard and Standings