AA-league South, July 3rd 2011
Another week and another win for the Herts Hawks, who are finally seeing good work pay off with victories. Joint manager and spiritual leader Greg Bochan returned for the trip to Brentwood Stags, and was delighted to see that once again his players had brought their best game.
In both halves of a double-header, the Hawks jumped out to an early lead. In the first game, they then exploded for 6 runs in the third inning to put it beyond reach of the Stags. Perrie Sherman ended it in the fifth inning, hitting a sacrifice fly to secure a mercy rule victory 12-2.
- Second-year player Jim Arnott is having a good season on the mound and at the plate
In the second game, it was the fourth inning which was the big run-fest. Five came across and although Brentwood managed to take this one the full distance, they never threatened. It ended 12-3.
Nick Russell was a master on the pitching mound once again. He pitched nine innings over the two games, allowing just four runs. Jim Arnott had a great game with the bat, finding a gap in the field every time he came to the plate, and he also picked off a runner at second to end the second game.
The Hawks now have four wins under their belt, and are on a three-game winning streak. On this form, their remaining schedule does not look daunting. Instead it offers a good chance to push for a highly creditable .500 record — or even better.
The Herts Falcons were taking part in the National League’s second special event of the season, facing the London Mets at Richmond. It was a tough day for Herts’ top team, with base-running errors costing them dear in an otherwise decent performance. The Mets rolled to an 11-1 victory, with Darrin Ward taking the loss.
The Falcons now stand with a 2-12 record for the season. Coach Lee Manning is taking the positives though: “I think we are definitely getting stronger and I believe we are very close to getting a couple of wins. We had problems baserunning and that cost us runs. It was not a great day for us.”
Their next opponents are the Mildenhall Bulldogs, who have had struggles of their own this year, so the Falcons will be looking to get back on track.
