After scoring two runs in the third inning, Sparks Haarlem appeared to en route to a victory and qualification for the Holland Series.
However, Olympia Haarlem had different plans, scored three runs in the fifth and went on to win 3-2.
Olympia-starter Eva Voortman retired the side in the first and gave up a single to Virginie Anneveld in the second, but held Sparks Haarlem scoreless.
In the third at bat, the reigning champion opened the score.
Areke Spel led off with a walk, advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Cindy van der Zanden and scored on a triple by Chantal Versluis.
Moments later, Versluis scored the next run on a sacrifice fly by Anne Blaauwgeers.
Kirsten Scheele started for Sparks Haarlem and gave up three hits, but didn't allow a runner to reach beyond second base in the first four innings.
In the first inning, she gave up an one-out single to Dinet Oosting, but two flyouts followed.
In the second inning, Olympia Haarlem got two baserunners with two outs.
Rachel van Veen then reached on an error and Maranca Ham singled.
On a ball in the ground, both runners left their bases.
However, Van Veen ended up in a rundown and was tagged out to end the inning.
In the third, with two outs, Oosting singled again, then her temporary runner Eva Voortman stole second base, but stranded.
In the top of the fifth, trailing 2-0, Olympia struck with three runs.
Rachel van Veen led off with a single and advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Maranca Ham.
She then reached third base on a pop-fly, turned double, by Merel Oosterveld.
She popped up the ball behind first base near the foul-line, but it dropped between 2B Damishah Charles and RF Anne Blaauwgeers.
Oosterveld kept on running and ended up with a double.
Next batter Eva Voortman then reached on an infield-hit to bring in Van Veen.
She grounded to Charles, who after fielding the ball briefly appeared to want to throw it to the plate, but had no play at first base.
With runners at first and third base, Sparks Haarlem's Head Coach Peter van Dalen made a pitching change.
He brought in hardthrowing Dagmar Bloeming to close the inning.
After Voortman had stolen second base, the righthander got to a 2-2 count on Dinet Oosting, who then drilled the next delivery into right-centerfield for a 2-run double to give Olympia a 3-2 lead.
Oosting's temporary runner Stephanie Tofft advanced to third on a wild pitch, but herefater, Bloeming struckout the next two batters and allowed only one more batter to reach in the remainder of the game, but Sparks Haarlem now faced a 3-2 deficit.
Olympia Haarlem held onto the minimal lead, as the defense made some good plays.
In the bottom of the fifth, Areke Spel led off for Sparks Haarlem with a single, but then was picked off first base.
A double by Chantal Versluis followed, but she stranded on second base.
In the sixth, Nathalie Gosewehr led off with a walk, but hereafter Karin Tuk grounded into a double play.
Next, Virginie Anneveld walked, but was left behind.
In the seventh inning, with one out, Areke Spel reached on a bunt-single.
Pitcher Eva Voortman made a wide throw to first base after fielding the bunt, but it would have been a close play at first anyway, so the Official Scorer credited Spel with a basehit.
A flyout followed, then Voortman ended the inning and the game with a strikeout.
With that, Olympia Haarlem completed a surprise victory.
In the regular season, on July 11, Olympia Haarlem had won a double-header vs. Sparks Haarlem to end its 75-game winning streak.
Now, Olympia Haarlem repeated to win again vs. Sparks Haarlem.
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Olympia Haarlem first to advance to Holland Series
HOOFDDORP (Neth.) -
FysioExpert Olympia Haarlem came from behind to win 3-2 vs. defending champion Oolders Omaco Sparks Haarlem to win the best-of-one first Play-Off round on Saturday (September 26).
With that, the squad became the first to advance to the Holland Series, which will be played on Sunday-afternoon.
Sparks Haarlem now has to play in the backdoor Play-Off in order to become the second finalist.
In that game, the team meets the winner of the second Play-Off round between Terrasvogels and Tex Town Tigers, which followed this game.
