by BaseballSoftballUK, www.baseballsoftballuk.com
LONDON AND BRACKNELL PULL AWAY AT THE TOP IN NBL WEEK 4
Four sets of games resulted in four doubleheaders sweeps in Week 4 of National Baseball Leagueplay on Sunday, May 9.
The London Mets and Bracknell Blazers pulled away at the top of the standings, while the Richmond Flames and Southampton Mustangs kept in touch with their own double-dip wins.
Special NBL Reporter Simon Fitzjohn provides the details.
Croydon Pirates @ London Mets
The Mets cruised to a comfortable pair of wins over the luckless Pirates at Finsbury Park, moving to 7-1 for the season into the bargain.
A seven-run first inning was the key to a 13-3 triumph in Game One, Daniel Williams homering as Jason Roberts claimed the win.
Brian Anderson took the pitching honours in Game Two, holding Croydon at bay as the Mets eased to a 10-1 victory.
For Croydon coach Dave Ward, it was a case of trying to see the positives. “We were beaten but not overwhelmed,” he said.
“It’s a bit of a grind at the moment but there is light at the end of the tunnel,” Ward continued. “We are struggling with our pitching a bit and we are lacking depth. But we need to keep going and try to turn the corner.”
Bracknell Blazers @ Mildenhall Bulldogs
The Blazers ended an unbeaten start to the campaign by the Bulldogs, as the 2009 Champions emerged with 11-3 and 9-7 victories.
Game One was a relatively sedate affair, Henry Collins thwarting the Mildenhall batters on his way to victory.
But Game Two was a different matter entirely, with the scores locked at 7-7 after seven innings. On it went, until Bracknell scored twice in the top of the tenth inning to take a 9-7 verdict. Pitchers Matt Maitland and Brendan Cunliffe both hit home runs in the game as the Blazers moved their record to 5-1.
Blazers coach Rob Rance said: “It was a great couple of games for us. Mildenhall struggled in the pitching department and we were both suffering from injuries. We had five players missing so to get two wins is a big bonus, and hopefully we can keep this going as we move forward.”
Herts Falcons @ Richmond Flames
The Flames moved their record back to an even 3-3 with two impressive shutouts against Herts, compiling 8-0 and 14-0 victories.
Michael Osborn and Cody Cain both hurled complete game gems, stunning the Falcons’ hitters as Herts slipped to 2-4 for the season.
Richmond’s Grant Delzoppo said: “We really needed that after the Mildenhall games [Richmond lost twice to the Bulldogs on April 25]. Our pitching was excellent and that was the real difference.
“It was a great team effort,” Delzoppo added, “we were very patient hitting-wise and did well at the plate. But the credit has to go to the pitchers and rightfully so.”
Herts’ Aspi Dimitrov said: “It was just not our day. We were missing one or two players and it was a very difficult day for us. We have to forget about it and move on, as there is no point dwelling on it. We were not quite right and we have to accept that.”
Southampton Mustangs @ Essex Arrows
The winless start to the campaign by the Arrows continued as visiting Southampton took away 19-7 and 9-4 wins.
Lee Ralph took pitching honours in what turned out to be a hit parade in Game One, with Gary Davison claiming the win in Game Two.
But mention must also be made of Essex pitcher Matt Gilbert, who was saddled with the loss in the second game despite racking up 15 strikeouts.
Southampton’s Ben Davis said: “If someone had offered us a 4-4 start before the season began we would certainly have taken it, so we are delighted. We keep fighting and we have a belief that we can always get something out of a game.
“The pitching was excellent from them in Game Two,” Davis added, “but we managed to figure it out and get the hits when we needed them.”
For Essex’s David Shaer it was another hard-luck story.
“We didn’t do badly at all in the first game,” he said, “but a few errors made all the difference. We are still quite weak in a few areas and we are not up to the level we were last year.
“Obviously, with that being the case we are going to struggle at this level,” Shaer added, “and all we can do is keep trying and focus on what is next.”
{mrb-result:2010-05-08|2010-05-09|GB}
{mrb-standing:great-britain-2010}