THE HERTS Falcons claimed two comfortable victories over the Bracknell Blazers, aided by solid pitching outings from Robbie Unsell and Michael Osborn, as well as a rare grand slam (a home run with the bases loaded) in game two, courtesy of Cristobal Hiche.

Elsewhere, the South London Pirates claimed an upset win over the London Mets, which means that the Falcons move back into solitary possession of top spot in the National Baseball League. The Southampton Mustangs won both their games to keep the pressure on right behind the Falcons, whose winning streak now stands at seven games.

In the second tier, there were two hard-fought and much-needed victories for the Herts Ravens, with pitching wins for Petar Kikel and rising star Liam Green.

In the lower tiers, the Herts Hawks were downed by the Daws Hill Spitfires and the Herts Eagles lost by the narrowest of margins in a very well-played game against Haverhill, but the Herts Raptors continued to gain momentum with a win over Leicester 2Sox.

On the youth side, Herts Baseball Club is actively encouraging boys and girls aged 6–16 (beginners or experienced) to sign up for Little League World Series and the youth baseball season (you can visit www.hertsbaseball.com for more information).

The results were:

National Baseball League

Falcons 9 @ Bracknell Blazers 1

Falcons 13 @ Bracknell Blazers 1

AAA South

Leones de Feltham 4 @ Ravens 16 (6 innings)

Leones de Feltham 9 @ Ravens 10 (8 innings)

AA South

Hawks 3 @ Daws Hill Spitfires 15

A South Pool A

Eagles 7 @ Haverhill Blackjacks 8

Leicester 2Sox @ Raptors – Raptors won, result TBC

Herts Baseball Club is based at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead (postcode HP2 6LB). It welcomes male and female players of all levels, including beginners, to compete in both youth baseball (ages 6–16) and adult baseball (14 and up). Visit www.hertsbaseball.com for more information on becoming a player and details of other ways to get involved. Games are free to attend for spectators.