 Three teams open baseball season with home victory
Nederlands
    HAARLEM / AMSTERDAM / ROTTERDAM / BUSSUM (Neth.) - Today, Saturday, April 10, it was Opening Day in the Dutch big league with four games scheduled.
Three of these games ended in a home victory for Corendon Kinheim, L&D Amsterdam Pirates and DOOR Neptunus, while Mr. Cocker HCAW started its home season with a loss.
Kinheim led only 3-2 in the eighth inning and then secured its victory with a 6-run rally.
Pirates claimed the win on a ninth inning single, while Neptunus needed an extra inning to leave the field as the winning team.
On Opening Day 2010, live play-by-play was introduced for all baseball and softball games in the highest Dutch divisions.
Corendon Kinheim vs. Almere Magpies, 9-2
HAARLEM (Neth.) - Corendon Kinheim opened the 2010 season on Saturday with a 9-2 victory vs. Almere Magpies, which last year captured the title in the First Division. Hereafter, it won a 5-game play-off vs. MediaMonks RCH, 3-2, to return to the Dutch big league.
Does the final score appears to be big, Kinheim was leading only 3-1 after seven innings. After Almere narrowed the deficit to 3-2 in the eighth inning, Kinheim then rallied for six runs in the eighth inning to raise its lead to 9-2. Almere produced only three basehits in this game, which were all registered in the first inning off starting pitcher David Bergman, who struckout seven batters in the five innings he pitched.
Almere took an 1-0 lead in the first inning when Daniël Zijderveld walked with one out, advanced to third base on a 2-out single by Giovanni Samboe and scored when Churandy la Cruz followed with another single. Almere got the bases loaded when Joey Berkenbosch reached on an infield-hit, but the three runners stranded, as a grounder ended the at bat.
In its own first at bat, Kinheim tied the score when René Cremer led off with a single, moved to third on a single by next batter Dirk van 't Klooster and scored on a sacrifice fly by Jason Halman. Kinheim then added two runs in the third inning. With one out, Cremer walked and Van 't Klooster singled again. A grounder by Halman enabled Cremer to score, then Bryan Engelhardt added an RBI-single to make it 3-1.
In the eighth inning, off reliever Nick Veltkamp, Almere scored its second run. The lefthander walked Jaïr Roseburg, who later scored on an error. In the home of the eighth, Kinheim scored six runs. Facing American reliever Justin Prinstein, who had just taken over the pitching, Bryan Engelhardt led off with a homerun, then Tjerk Smeets doubled and scored on a single by Rafael Jozefa. Next, Rodney Michel reached on an errror. With two outs, rookie Andy Nieuwehuijse became the new Almere-pitcher, but was greeted by a 2-run triple by René Cremer (who was 3-for-4, walked and reached base five times) and an RBI-single by Dirk van 't Klooster (who was 3-for-5). A double by Jason Halman then made it 9-2. Kinheim-closer Michiel van Kampen, who had taken over in the eighth, finished the game by retiring the side in the ninth, including two strikeouts. Three Kinheim-pitchers struckout a total of 14 batters.
Line Score, Box Score & Play-by-Play
L&D Amsterdam Pirates vs. ADO, 2-1
...Nick Urbanus is hugged by Sidney de Jong...
...Jos de Jong and Zaïr Koeiman...
...after his gamewinning single in the 9th...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
AMSTERDAM (Neth.) - L&D Amsterdam Pirates had its hands full of ADO on Opening Day, but went on to win 2-1 by scoring the deciding run in the ninth inning.
Amsterdam opened the score in the second inning off Ludwin Obispo, who went the distance for ADO. Bas de Jong led off with an infield-hit and was able to advance to third base when a pick-off to first base by Obispo ended in a throwing error. With one out, De Jong scored on a single by rookie Nick Urbanus, who made his big league-debut last year and then also played his first games in the Dutch National Team. ADO tied the score in the third at bat. With one out, Michel Korzeniewski doubled, advanced on a grounder and scored on a single by Berti Richardson, who made his comeback on the highest level after played in a lower division the last few years.
Amsterdam-starter Jos de Jong threw seven strong innings, striking out eight batters and giving up only four basehits. Only five ADO-batters reached base off De Jong, who was relieved by Rik Geestman in the eighth inning. The lefthander walked lead-off hitter Michel Korzeniewski in the eighth, but then picked off his pinch-runner Gregory Hassell. In the meantime, Ludwin Obispo gave up two hits resulting in the Amsterdam-run in the second inning, but then threw five hitless innings, allowing only four batters to reach base in this span. In the eighth inning. Wesley Connor and Zaïr Koeiman led off with singles, but then Kenny Berkenbosch, the leading hitter of last season, grounded into a double play and Sidney de Jong grounded out. In the ninth, Bas de Jong led off with a single, advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Vince Rooi and scored on a single down the third base-line by Nick Urbanus, who therefore accounted for both runs and was named Man of the Match.
Line Score, Box Score & Play-by-Play
...Ron Berteling, who holds the record for most games played in the Dutch...
...National Ice Hockey Team and Head Coach of Amstel Tijgers Amsterdam,...
...throws out the ceremonial first pitch...
...At right is Amsterdam-chairman John Witte...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
DOOR Neptunus vs. Sparta-Feyenoord, 3-2 (10)
ROTTERDAM (Neth.) - Dutch champion DOOR Neptunus needed an extra inning to open its season with a victory. The Rotterdam-based club beat Sparta-Feyenoord 3-2 in 10 innings with a walk-off single by Danny Rombley, his first in a Neptunus-uniform after having played for Corendon Kinheim the last few seasons.
Sparta-Feyenoord was the team that scored first. In the second at bat, newcomer Ramiro Balentina led off with a single in his first big league at bat, then advanced on a single by Imco Rudolph and a balk by pitcher Diegomar Markwell. Next, Balentina scored on a sacrifice fly by Calvin Martinus. In the home of the second inning, Neptunus not only tied the score, but also took the lead. Sparta-Feyenoord starter Gregory Gustina walked lead-off hitter Danny Rombley, then gave up a single to Jeffrey Arends. Hereafter, Rombley scored the tying run on a single by Eldrion Regina, who last season played for Sparta-Feyenoord. Moments later, Neptunus took a 2-1 lead when Arends scored on an error. From here, the game remained scoreless for six innings, until Sparta-Feyenoord came alongside in the ninth.
After giving up the single to Imco Rudolph in the second inning, Neptunus-starter Diegomar Markwell retired the next eleven batters in a row, before being relieved by Dushan Ruzic, who retired all six batters he faced in the sixth and seventh inning. In the eighth inning, Jorian van Acker became the third Neptunian pitcher, gave up an one-out double to José Ventura (in his first big league at bat), but then ended the inning with two groundouts. In the ninth, closer Berry van Driel was sent to the mound to finish the game, but was credited with a blown save, as Sparta-Feyenoord came alongside. The righthander gave up a lead-off single to Raynard Doran, who advanced on bunts by Nick Eppinga and Roderick Simon, then scored on a single by Ramiro Balentina after Percy Isenia was walked intentionally to force extra innings, as Neptunus was unable to score in its ninth. Sparta-Feyenoord-starter Gregory Gustina, who gave up only three hits, was relieved in the seventh inning by newcomer José Ventura. In the tenth inning, with two outs, Ventura gave up a single to Benjamin Dille, then hit next batter Raily Legito with a pitch. Next, Danny Rombley followed with his gamewinning single. Steve Janssen, Head Coach of Neptunus stated: ,,You have to give credit to Gustina and Ventura, they pitched a fine game''.
In the third inning, Sparta-Feyenoord lost its centerfielder Rubinet Koko, as the speedy outfielder pulled his hamstring while running to first base on a grounder and had to leave the game.
In the seventh inning, rightfielder Calvin Martinus, who ended the sixth inning by catching a flyball, had to be replaced due to backproblems.
Besides these two outfielders, Sparta-Feyenoord already started the season without infielder/outfielder Rutger Veugelers, who broke two fingers a week earlier and outfielder Shurendell Borgschot (hamstring).
Line Score, Box Score & Play-by-Play
Mr. Cocker HCAW vs. Konica Minolta Pioniers, 4-10
BUSSUM (Neth.) - Vice-champion Konica Minolta Pioniers started the new season with a comfortable 10-4 victory at Mr. Cocker HCAW, leading 8-1 in the fourth inning. Pioniers had two 4-run rallies in the first and fourth inning in this debut of Bernie Beckman as the new Head coach of the Hoofddorp-club. Last year, the experienced coach led MediaMonks RCH.
Pioniers scored four unearned runs in the first at bat with two outs. Norbert Lokhorst then reached on an error and advanced on a single by Mark Duursma. A triple by Mervin Gario then produced two runs and he himself was able to score when an error followed. Linoy Croes followed with a homerun in his first big league at bat to make it 4-0. HCAW got one run back in the third inning. With one out, Laurens Dammers singled and went on to score on a single by Bart Sabel.
...Linoy Croes steals third base in 4th inning...
...then scores on a throwing error...
(© Photo: Alfred Cop Fotografie) |
Pioniers then rallied again for four runs in the fourth at bat. Linoy Croes, who had reached base with a single after runner Mervin Gario was hit by hit batted ball, stole second and third base, then scored on a throwing error. With two outs, Edwin de Graaf and Shurty Tremus both walked. A single by Jefferson Muzo led to a run and Michael Duursma followed with a 2-run double to make it 8-1. Pioniers increased the lead to 10-1 when two runs were added in the ninth inning on three defensive errors by HCAW.
Trailing 10-1, HCAW scored three runs with two outs in the home of the ninth on a single by former Pionier Bart Sabel and a 2-run double by rookie Mitchel Koot. HCAW outhit Pioniers 10-8, including three by Sabel.
Line Score, Box Score & Play-by-Play
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